Childhood buddies Doughboy, Ricky and Tre take different paths in life, with naïve Ricky excelling at sports in college, street-smart Doughboy joining a gang and intelligent Tre struggling to stay on the straight and narrow. When a rival gang targets Ricky, Tre will have to decide whether to follow his father's advice to turn the other cheek or follow Doughboy into a life of brutal violence.