Stuey Ungar, in a motel room on the last night of his life, relays his personal story to an ominous stranger. He recounts growing up as the son of a bookie, his career as a tournament gin player, moving into poker, his marriage and the birth of his daughter, cocaine abuse, and the breakup of his marriage-all culminating in Ungar's third victory at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker.