A pimp is only married to one thing in his life and that's the game! Nothing and no one can come between him and his money. Mack's life was a little different, he was rare and real as the game itself. Being the son of a pimp and having a prostitute as a mother, his ability to walk a thin line of love and hate between drugs and pimps, and life and death made him fearless and very dangerous. The streets were hot this summer and payback was the only peace of mind Mack was looking for. He had only one person to see no matter what, Memphis Slimm.

In Los Angeles, two rival gang leaders are also trying to be music producers. When DJ's equipment shorts out and Lonzo is cut out of the action by a record producer, the two join forces, which also requires a tentative peace between gangs. With backing from Gator, a smooth New Orleans drug king, DJ and Lonzo start dealing, organizing their gangs into pushers. Just as their finances are looking up, one of Gator's team pulls a double cross and two of DJ and Lonzo's gang bangers start a shooting war. Can the erstwhile music producers salvage anything of their bond or their plans?

A serious health scare ignites John Thomas, an insurance salesman in his 50s, to take a closer look at his life. Motivated by a misguided obsession with getting Barack Obama elected, John takes an overwhelming involvement in the Presidential campaign. While John becomes obsessed with the ideal of change that Obama represents for Americans, he has in turn neglected to create positive change in his own life, particularly with regard to his health and familial relationships. John hides his health problems from his strong, yet supportive wife, Molly, creating a strain on their marriage. John seeks the support of a Republican relative, MLK, who initially starkly resists supporting a Democratic candidate. John's son, Kalil, rebels against his father's avid support of Obama by supporting the Republican candidate as well. John neglects to support his daughter, Tamika, at a crucial moment in her life...

It follows Fiona "Phoenix" Grant, a U.S. Army veteran Sergeant teaching hand-to-hand combat skills in Afghanistan. She receives word that her father has been killed in Florida.