On a brisk February morning in 1934, a stolen state police weapon is in the guile hands of an unstable criminal. From his perch inside the bank, he sees a policeman sprinting towards the front door. With the officer in his sights, the gunman steadies himself at the window and places his hand purposefully on the trigger.

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For the first time in Massachusetts history, a machine gun is used in a crime.

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This is the story of heroism and sacrifice entangled with bureaucracy and antiquated investigative tactics during a bloody spoor of sensational robbery and brazen murder. On the outside two of Boston's top crime reporters form an unlikely alliance which places them directly in the machine gunner's nest.