Holy Rollers

Sam Gold is a 20-year-old Orthodox Jewish man living in Borough Park with his family. He works in his father Mendel runs a fabric store while studying to become a rabbi, and his family hopes to arrange a marriage with Zeldy. He worries about providing for them because the family is poor.

Sam and Leon accept a job offer from Yosef and his boss Jackie under the pretense of visiting a rabbi in Atlantic City. They are sent to Amsterdam with a briefcase and instructed to walk it through customs in New York. The assignment hints at medicine, but soon they realize the contents are drugs.

Back in New York, a remark from Maxim reveals the briefcase contains ecstasy. Sam is torn between the promise of money and the risk, but ultimately chooses to continue. He starts making trips to Amsterdam to collect the shipments.

Sam starts recruiting other young Orthodox Jews as mules for the operation, leveraging their trust in him as one of their own. He also becomes involved with Rachel, Jackie is girlfriend, and begins drinking and using ecstasy with the gang. His role expands as he brokers a deal with Ephraim, a European manufacturer.

Sam's growing involvement causes friction with his yeshiva path. His new job becomes known in the neighborhood, and his worried parents kick him out to protect the family reputation. He confronts the consequences of his choices.

Sam's influence within the operation increases as he brokers a major deal with Ephraim and gains the trust of Yosef and Rachel. His new status brings danger as well as money, and he becomes more entangled in the drug network.

Rachel becomes more involved with Sam, and their bond deepens as they share late nights, alcohol, and ecstasy. Sam also learns that Yosef is skimming money, creating tension and fear of exposure. The stakes rise as loyalties are tested.

Sam confronts Jackie after a failed deal and argues with Rachel as she urges him to run away with her. Jackie shows little patience, and Sam decides to press on despite the risks. He remains involved as the operation grows more dangerous.

In a misguided shipment, the drugs are mixed with other substances and detected by drug sniffing dogs. The mules including Sam are arrested. Sam escapes by avoiding customs checks due to his altered appearance.

Sam warns Yosef who is high at a nightclub, and they consider driving to the West Coast to lie low. Sam is unwilling to flee, so he returns to his family home to await arrest. He is greeted by his old friend Leon, who is now married to Zeldy and studying to become a rabbi.

As sirens approach, Sam realizes that arrest is imminent. He weeps on his front steps while a police car pulls up, signaling the end of this chapter. The moment foreshadows the broader consequences for him and his family.

In the epilogue, Sam and the other mules serve 28 months in a federal boot camp. The operation runs for over six months between 1998 and 1999, smuggling over one million ecstasy pills into America. Jackie and Yosef receive 16 year sentences, while Rachel gets one year; Sam and Mendel are seen visiting, signaling a reunion with the family.