A Most Violent Year

In 1981 New York City, Abel Morales, from an immigrant background, is trying to live the American Dream on his own moral terms. Married to WASP Anna Morales nee Robbins, Abel bought Standard, his father-in-law's heating-oil distribution business operating in the New York market. Operating totally above board, Abel has made such a success of the business that he, Anna, and their two daughters are moving into a palatial new mansion. It looks like he is the front-runner among those competing to purchase a $2.5-million prime riverside property that would allow him to expand the business and become the largest New York heating-oil distributor. If successful in his proposal--$1 million of his own money down, with the remaining $1.5 million, financed through the bank, due in 30 days--this purchase would be the most important business move of his career. However, the industry in New York is known to be fraught with illegal activity, so much so that the Assistant D.A., Mr. Lawrence, has been tasked with cleaning up the crime ingrained in the industry. Anna's father and most if not all of Abel's major competitors were and are corrupt. Lawrence's investigation includes looking into Abel's business during his father-in-law's ownership, and Abel could be charged if they look into the books from those years despite Abel having done nothing wrong himself. He and Anna haven't yet been able to go through the books themselves to hide whatever is required to remain clean. Also, someone--most likely one of his major competitors, is using scare tactics and intimidation to bring him down: hijacking his trucks, so far to the tune of $200,000 worth of stolen oil, beating up his drivers, beating up his salesmen, and making veiled personal threats against him and his family. Even if it is not one of his major competitors orchestrating these attacks, he knows at least one of them is in collusion, as the amount of oil stolen could not be stored anywhere but at one of their facilities. Anna, who is more cutthroat than her husband, wants Abel to fight back using whatever tools, including like violence, to protect himself, the business, and their family. As Abel tries to remain true to himself, Julian, one of his immigrant drivers who was severely beaten during one of those hijackings, could undermine all that Abel has achieved so far, as Julian strives for his own piece of the American Dream.