For detective Joe Lombardi, when a body is discovered dangling beneath the Carroll Street Bridge, the first place he turns to for answers is the nearby canal. With its long history of pollution and neglect, the canal has gained a dubious reputation for ruining people's lives -- Joe's included. But to Joe's younger partner, Alan D'Angelo, Joe is little more than a liability, a chain-smoking failure who stands in the way of a much-coveted promotion...