Synopsis

Chicago, October 1932. During Prohibition, the only beverage legally labeled "beer" was "near-beer," or "Near-O," containing a mere 0.5% alcohol—a far cry from the 4.0% of genuine beer. Consequently, many honest brewers resorted to illicit measures, supplementing their near-beer with pure alcohol to artificially boost its potency. Woody O'Mara, a brewer operating on the north side, harbored ambitions to dominate the market. He confided in his girlfriend, Amy Gratzner, a rather unassuming 23-year