"The Hood" is a place where drive-by shootings and unemployment are rampant. But it is also a place where harmony co-exists with adversity, especially for the three young men growing up there: Doughboy, an unambitious drug dealer; his brother Ricky, a college-bound teenage father; and Ricky's best friend, Tre, who aspires to a brighter future beyond the "The Hood." In a world where a trip to the store can end in death, the friends have diverse reactions to their bleak surroundings. Tre's resolve is strengthened by a strong father who keeps him on the right track. But the lessons Tre learns are put to the ultimate test when tragedy strikes close to home, and violence seems like the only recourse. This powerful portrait of black urban America is a film of enormouse relevance and importance.