The AmerIcan Dream is at once an inspiring account of a young man's journey from defendant to defense attorney, a window into the inner workings of one of Miami's most notorious drug rings, and a chilling portrait of the streets that Americas poverty-stricken youth call home.

The hood is an addiction. An addiction that pulls as seductively and fiercely as the drugs hustled on its streets. And living in it is a daily exercise in survival.

Raised impoverished in the streets of Miami, David Lee Windecher was only 11 years old when he was arrested for shoplifting. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, deciding to take what he believed he deserved. But that was the beginning for David. That was the day he started thinking like a hustler. He could stop waiting for the scales to tip in his favor. He could stop going without. He could take what life denied him. And he did.

For the next seven years, David fought bitterly against his circumstances at the side of his gang-affiliate brothers. It began with selling dope to help his family eat, but pulled into the dark, seductive life of violence, drugs, money, and notoriety, David lost himself to the game. Before he turned 18, he had built and masterminded a crime ring, had been arrested 13 times, and fought daily wars against rival gangs and dirty cops.

But deep inside of David, an idealistic boy still dreamed of becoming an attorney and fighting for justice despite race. He was just waiting for someone to believe he existed.