November 1932. Big-time gangster Joe Palakopolous is playing a dangerous game-- he just had his hitman rub out Danny Kugan, the biggest supplier of Canadian whiskey that Frank Nitti had. And Nitti's plenty sore. Kugan was the only guy who could import Canadian Gold for Nitti. The phony stuff is no good; Nitti quips that bottled rotgut is so bad, ""it peels off the labels from the inside."" Eliot Ness and his men investigate Kugan's killing, and try to find out who will take over the operation. Joe Palakopolous personally settles into a small village of fishermen by Lake Michigan, about a 2 hours' drive from Chicago; it's a perfect spot for having his Canadian supplier delivery booze by boat. He even comes across as a benefactor to the small community, giving the parish priest, Fr. Francis Gregory, money to set up a soup kitchen.