Known as "the Honored Society," at its place of origin in Palermo and western Sicily, the Mafia was a massive criminal brotherhood that took control of all local governments and businesses in the western part of Sicily. The migration of Sicilians to the United States brought with it many members of "the Family." They began to take control of New York's five boroughs. Mafia organizations then spread to Chicago, New Orleans, Havana, Nevada, Mexico, and other places in the western hemisphere. This episode uses police surveillance films, home movies, and eyewitness accounts to look at the men who control "the Family." The first person you see and hear is Jimmy 'the weasel' Fratianno, a former Los Angeles boss, who describes his murder of Frank Borgia. He does this in a very matter of fact manner and this sets the tone for the whole series.

This episode is an in-depth look into the shady underworld of the Mob. Starting with the government's prohibition of alcohol that gave the mob its foothold in the underbelly of America, to the illicit high-stakes drug wars that take place on the streets of today, in this second episode we see the gangsters and thugs that rose to notoriety within the violent world of organized crime. As suggested by the scene titles, this deals with the early days of the mob, primarily through the profits gleaned during the 'prohibition' era. It covers the rise and fall of Capone and the Chicago mob, built on the back of the temperance movement. The effect of the Depression is also touched upon in the Capone story.