The story of the rise and fall of three friends in 1970s-era Las Vegas: Mafia-connected casino operator Sam "Ace" Rothstein, Mafia enforcer Nicky Santoro, and hustler Ginger McKenna. As the opening credits say, the film is "adapted from a true story". The source material is Pileggi's nonfiction biography of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, and most of the characters in the film are based on real people.

Story of the manners and morals of New York society in the later 1800's, focusing on a handsome young lawyer who cannot decide between passion and propriety in his women.