Sometimes the hardest thing for a cop to do is the right thing.A black city councilman is badly beaten on a West Philadelphia street and blames two of Sgt. Eddie North's best cops. They deny it. Eddie, uncertain of what really happened, decides to back his men—and finds himself accused of a conspiracy to cover up the truth.The media, the politicians and the public are outraged. And then a man in a black ski mask begins a campaign to assassinate cops.As Eddie races to learn what was really behind the beating, there's even more trouble. A fellow sergeant has taken advantage of the confusion in the city and formed a ring of corrupt officers—including one of the two cops Eddie is risking his career for.The widening conflict between the police and the black community is mirrored by the battle of cop against cop. And with the stakes so high, there are no winners—just those strong enough, and lucky enough, to survive.

The streets of Philadelphia are meaner than most ... A city on the edge is about to explode. The killing of a cop in a rundown Philly crack house has stoked racial tensions to the boiling point -- as angry police strike out in force, rounding up every young black man in sight. Sergeant Eddie North suspects that the Mob was behind the slaying, though it may already be too late to douse the inevitable fire. A man obsessed with justice -- and vengeance -- North is ready to launch his own private war on Organized Crime, with unexpected help from Michelle Ryder, the policewoman sister of the slain officer, who's willing to risk her own life and career undercover. But the poison polluting the City of Brotherly Love is more toxic than either of them suspects. The Mafia life is dragging Michelle in deeper than she can handle. And Eddie North is about to discover the devastating consequences awaiting those who press the limits of the law.