Lori envisions a sunny future in LA after attending the AFFA Erotica Awards with Harvey and Candy, who's looking to connect with west-coast producers who are willing to turn her fairy tale into reality. Paul and Kenneth approach Vincent about a loan for a new nightclub, free from mob ties. Goldman visits Alston's precinct to share the mayor's vision for cleaning up the Deuce. Frankie wins a hand of poker, but risks losing his job. Back in NYC, Ashley pushes her reform agenda on Abby, while trying to avoid C.C.. Larry Brown and Darlene learn a bitter lesson about supply and demand. Rudy sends a message to his rivals, but invites retaliation.
This drama series follows the legalization and subsequent rise of the porn industry in New York from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, exploring the rough-and-tumble world of midtown Manhattan. James Franco stars as real-life twin brothers who were players in the Times Square world and became fronts for mob control of the volatile and lucrative sex industry from its beginnings.