Italian - American immigrant life in the 1950's textures this searing drama of love and revenge. Longshoreman Eddie Carbone is devoted to his wife, Beatrice and to his niece, Catherine. When Beatrice's impoversihed Sicilian cousins enter the U.S. illegally, in the hope of finding work, Eddie gives them a helping hand. But when Catherine and one of her cousins fall in love, Eddie's affection for his niece turns into obsession.