Meet Sonny and his mother Jewel. Sonny has returned from the Army to his mother's loving arms, to the sultry, sordid streets of New Orleans. He has a reputation as the city's most sought-after young hustler, a reputation he earned working for his mother, and it's baggage he wants to lose. Sonny is back to start his life anew. Maybe with Carol, one of his mother's "girls," and one of the few who dream of a life outside "the life." Or maybe in Texas, where the promise of a real job seems almost too good to be true. Until now, he has survived in a business where women paid to sleep with him. How much will it cost to set him free?