James "Diz" Long grew up on the streets of Detroit, bouncing between houses and learning some hard truths. As he becomes a man he becomes an eyewitness to a sordid history, becoming a member of the famous Triple Nickels parachuting group, almost breaking into the NFL, becoming an MC at a famous Cleveland jazz club, running numbers for Don King, providing protection for celebrity author Harold Robbins in 1970s Hollywood, and becoming the right hand man for porn king Reuben Sturman. Diz Long leads a life in the American underbelly, surviving when few did.