In the "Emerald City" experimental unit of Oswald State Penitentiary, we meet some of the diverse inmates who live within a pecking order of Gangbangers, Latinos, Muslims, Westies, Aryans, and Wiseguys. No clear leader emerges--with the possible exception of Kareem Said, a Muslim author who preaches non-violence. Said's arrival doesn't prevent a Mafia inmate named Dino Ortolani from ticking off just about everybody--a habit that ends up burning him. A lawyer struggles to endure his first terrifying week in prison; an Irish gangster seeks revenge on the inmate who shot him.