Harlem, 1931. Prohibition is still in effect, the Great Depression is getting worse by the day, and people are desperate for hope. For a decade, Stephanie St. Clair, a.k.a. Queenie, an immigrant from the French Antilles, has been running a lottery in Harlem that has provided just that: a chance for a way out. But with the end of Prohibition looming, bootlegger Dutch Schultz is looking to diversify his business before the booze industry dries up. And he sees Harlem as ripe for the picking, especially with the police and politicians for sale to the highest bidder—at least if you're white. It may be wintertime in New York, but things are heating up in Harlem.

The people of Harlem suffer through the Great Depression. With the assistance of police and political corruption, the criminal underbelly of New York is not underfed, and the diverse gangs of New York have set their hungry eyes set on Stephanie St. Clair's territory, hoping to divvy up her turf. Madame St. Clair, however, has a different vision of things, and her weekly column in a local paper gives voice to this vision. But the sound of this voice grates on some very powerful, very criminal nerves, and the claws of lies and violence are ready to rip her world to shreds.