Despite growing up in a neighborhood saturated by drugs, prostitution, and violence, Jake Stone has big dreams of living a wonderful life. When he eventually succumbs to the temptations of the streets, Jake embarks on a dark journey through drug and alcohol abuse that eventually leads him to enlist in the navy where he hopes to find a new beginning. When Jake returns to civilian life and takes up his old addictions, he has no choice but to immerse himself in a life of crime to support his habits. After he is arrested and convicted for robbery, Jake is sent to prison, released, and arrested again for murder. Sentenced to over one hundred years in jail, Jake must now endure relentless transfers, a corrupted prison system, and his own restlessness to make something of himself despite his obstacles. After he studies law, Jake focuses on transforming the bad into good as he attempts to orchestrate his release and marries a prison nurse. When Jake is finally released into the free world more than thirty years later, only one question remains: Will he finally be able to achieve the happily ever after he has always wanted? A Long, Tragic Journey shares the story of one man's struggle to survive the tragedies of the prison system and find his purpose in life.