Gentleman’s Fate

Jack discovers from his guardian that he has an elder brother Frank Tomasulo in New Jersey and a bootlegging father Francesco. This knowledge unsettles his sense of family and loyalty. It frames his future choices as he learns more about his real connections.

Francesco gives Jack an emerald necklace on his deathbed, hoping to leave him a family token. Jack accepts it as a sign of duty and honor. The necklace later becomes a symbol of trouble that will haunt him.

Jack gives the emerald necklace to his fiancée Marjorie Channing. It soon turns out to have been stolen, threatening the family's honor. Frank forces Jack to falsely admit that he stole it, setting off a chain of personal betrayals.

Marjorie breaks off the engagement and travels to England. The scandal isolates Jack from polite society and fractures his relationships.

Following his brief jail stint and Francesco's death, Jack accepts that the upper-class life is gone. He decides to join Frank's bootlegging operation, embracing the family business.

During a botched hijacking of the gang's booze by the Florio mob, Jack shoots Dante, saving Frank's life. The act marks Jack's firm entry into the criminal world.

Several months later, Jack returns to Jersey after hiding out in Canada. He hopes to lay low and rebuild his life, or at least keep his options open.

Frank hosts a 'peace banquet' to show Florio who’s boss and to arrange a 50-50 partnership. Ruth, Florio's old girlfriend, is brought into the circle to smooth the arrangement. Florio insists he can do business only if he can kill the man who shot Dante.

Jack enters the party and Florio instantly recognizes him as the shooter, casting suspicion on him and Ruth. A confrontation erupts, but cops raid the joint, interrupting the clash. Jack learns that Marjorie has married elsewhere, deepening his isolation.

After drinking an entire bottle of whiskey, the drunken Jack marries Ruth. The union binds him to Florio's world in a more precarious way.

Florio plans to kill Jack and Ruth on the eve of their honeymoon. A waiter is killed in a staged warning, and Mabel alerts Frank to the impending attack.

Jack arrives and kills Florio's girlfriend. Florio, wounded, turns as Ruth shoots him in the back. Jack finishes Florio's killer just as Frank arrives, but Jack is mortally wounded.

In Ruth's bedroom, Jack lies dying as a doctor pronounces 'curtains for Jack.' He urges Frank to quit the racket and to look after Ruth, assuring his wife will be cared for. His final words emphasize the cost of their double life and loyalty to family.