A crime thriller, coming-of-age story and a family saga, THE PRICE YOU PAY is set in mid-1970s in a crumbling New Jersey city where violence and coercion reign. Mickey Wright is thrust into a world controlled by a powerful Teamster local linked to the Genovese crime family. The man who put him in jeopardy: his father, a free-wheeling policeman well-known to the city's politicians and drug dealers.

When a Black trucker is murdered, Mickey must choose between loyalty to family or to values he shares with Debbie Olsen, the love of his young life who is the daughter of a stable, solidly middle-class family. Memorable appearances by Mickey’s sister, who is broken by her father’s foul will, and memories of their late mother haunt the story. The question of whether Mickey can stand tall, break free and live a worthy life of his choosing isn’t answered until a final, shocking confrontation.