Jean Doumanian

In the 1930's, the fictional Emmet Ray ruled as the second greatest jazz guitarist in the world. But his reputation was eclipsed by his eccentric career moves, hilarious clashes with gangsters and stormy love affairs with two very different women.

A grown woman confronts an older man, her former neighbor, to find out why he abandoned her after they had a sexual relationship when she was thirteen.

Ray is an ex-convict who is married to Frenchy, a former stripper. Ray concocts a scheme to rob a bank by digging a tunnel from a defunct pizza place next door. As a cover, Frenchy opens a cookie shop in the storefront while Ray digs in the back. Ray's burglary is a failure, but Frenchy's cookies are a rousing success, and within a year the store has spawned a nationwide franchise that makes both rich. However, while Ray wants to move to Miami and...