Deadbeat at Dawn

Goose is the leader of The Ravens, a street gang based in Dayton, Ohio. The Ravens are locked in an ongoing feud with The Spiders. Dayton serves as the battleground for their power struggles.

Christie threatens to leave Goose, pushing him to quit the Ravens. To fund a new life with Christie, Goose heads out on one last drug deal. The plan is to secure enough money before starting over.

Two Spiders break into Goose's apartment while he's away and kill Christie. When Goose returns and finds her corpse, he feeds her body to a trash compactor. This brutal act sets the grim tone for what follows.

Devastated, Goose moves in with his Vietnam Veteran junkie father. The change marks a shift away from old gang life as he tries to cope with his loss.

To drown his sorrows, Goose goes to a bar and gets drunk. The night underscores his aimless wandering after Christie’s death and his growing estrangement from the Ravens.

The Ravens organize a hit and coerce Goose back into the fold, pressing him to join a plan to steal $100,000 from the federal government. The scheme rekindles the old gang dynamic even as Goose tries to stay on a new path.

For the cash drop and a follow-up deal, the group agrees to meet at a location where no one is armed. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Goose arms himself in preparation for the exchange.

The plan collapses as the Spiders lay a trap. The Ravens are killed in the exchange, and Goose narrowly escapes with the cash. The brutal ambush leaves him alone with the money and a looming threat.

Goose calls Christie’s sister and arranges a meetup near a freight train station to hand over the money. He lies, telling her Christie is still alive and waiting.

As Goose makes his way to the meeting point, a Spider spots him. The tension rises as he anxiously heads toward the exchange and the night grows more dangerous.

The fight spills onto the streets when a rival Spider threatens Christie’s sister on arrival. Goose fights him off and kills the attacker, but is stabbed multiple times in the kidney during the struggle.

Breathing heavily, Goose hands over the money and urges Christie’s sister to flee. He confirms that Christie is dead, exposing the grim reality behind the caper.

Goose staggers away from the sister, moving into a busy street. He collapses on the ground just as emergency vehicles close in, the sirens wailing in the background.