Cotton Comes to Harlem

In 1970, a scandal unfolds in Harlem's African-American community as con man Reverend Deke O'Malley dupes dozens of poor residents into investing in a Back-to-Africa movement ship, which turns out to be a mere scam. When detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson investigate, they discover that the stolen cash is hidden inside a bale of cotton, leading to a wild goose chase involving rival gangsters and a complex web of deceit. As the detectives close in on O'Malley, he's exposed as a petty con artist who exploited ordinary people, and his scheme ultimately leads to a thrilling showdown at a Harlem theater.