The Band, one of rock's superstar groups, decided to call it quits after sixteen grueling years on the road. The group held this farewell concert on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, at San Francisco's Winterland, the site of their first performance. The performance is interspersed with interview footage.

Jake La Motta is a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring. His brother Joey falls prey to Jake's mounting paranoia and jealousy, while fifteen-year-old Vickie, becomes Jake's wife and most prized trophy. The same anger that drives Jake in the ring, ultimately drives him to beat his wife and brother, and sends Jake down a self-destructive spiral of paranoia and rage.