Sugar Hill, a once prosperous part of Harlem, is now a jungle of poverty, drugs and chaos, at the top of which stands Roemello Skuggs (Wesley Snipes). Wielding his dominance like a shield, he protects his father and brother, Raynathan (Michael Wright). It is only when he meets the beautiful Melissa (Theresa Randle), an ambitious, struggling actress, that he decides to move on, to escape Sugar Hill with his family intact. Pursued by rival gangs and the Mafia, the struggle Roemello faces - the need for love, thr power of family - threatens to destroy him and yet may be his last brilliant hope.
