Two young black men are found shot to death at a project where Black Muslims have a security contract from HUD. Residents are hostile to the police initially. When one bereaved mother tells Russert that she had called 911 and half an hour passed before help arrived, they find there was a beat cop just a few blocks away. He admits he waited because he was in fear of his safety. Internal Affairs gets involved when the autopsy shows one of the boys bled to death over a period of about 20 minutes. Lewis and Kellerman are alienated over the racial issues.

A drug war is being fought--shipments hijacked, smalltime dealers shot, and even a family in their home are killed, leaving a small daughter hiding in a closet. Kellerman and Lewis catch the case(s) and learn a lot about the strange code of honor involved. The Narcotics detectives bring in a self-confessed killer with the murder weapon, but that's not the "whole truth."