Victor Rosa (Leguizamo) is a drug dealer in
New York who sells a specific
brand of
heroin called "Empire". His area, or "turf", is located in the South Bronx, where his other rivals all maintain an uneasy truce. They generally respect each other's borders and sanctity. All of this is maintained because it just so happens that they all purchase their drugs from the same supplier, the
drug lord La Colombiana. Victor is invited to a chic white collar party by his girlfriend Carmen (Cotto). The party is being thrown by her friend Trish's (Richards) boyfriend Jack (Sarsgaard), an investment banker. Vic befriends Jack as he looks up to him and his lifestyle. With a baby on the way Vic decides he wants to go straight, an opportunity Jack provides. Vic begins to invest money with Jack, receiving significant returns (200%). As Vic draws closer to Jack he finds himself drifting away from what he once was, and his former friends and family. He even moves into a fabulous loft in Soho, courtesy of Jack. Meanwhile Carmen and his friends all criticize him for acting like something he is not, and forgetting where he came from, and them.
The climax arises when Jack offers Vic an investment opportunity for over 300% return, there's only one catch, the minimum buy-in is 4.5 Million. Vic is 1.5 short. He approaches La Colombiana with the offer, in which she agrees to lend Vic the money he needs but she wants 500% return and for him to stop a feud between his best friend Jimmy who now runs his drug business, and a rival dealer. However, the feud escalates and Jimmy kills the rival. He in turn is killed by La Colombiana. Vic receives his money and gives it to Jack. It turns out that Jack is a
con artist and disappears the next day. Victor is lost but manages to track Jack down via a phone number he had called from earlier in
Miami. Victor tries to get his money back, and kills Jack and Trish when he is unable to. He escapes with Carmen and her family to
Puerto Rico and opens a bar on the south side of the island with what little money he has left. At the end of the movie, Vic receives a phone call, his son is being born at the hospital. Just when he is getting in his car to go to the hospital, he is shot dead; La Colombiana had caught up with him for not fulfilling his end of their agreement.
