But when it came time to make their move, it was the brilliant Jewish mobster, Meyer Lansky, who reigned supreme.  Having cultivated strong ties with the Cuban government and in particular the brutal dictator, President Batista, Lansky brought key mobsters to Havana to put his ambitious business plans in motion. Before long, the mob, with Batista’s corrupt government in its pocket, owned the biggest luxury hotels and casinos in Havana, launching an unprecedented tourism boom, complete with the most lavish entertainment, the world’s biggest celebrities, the most beautiful women, and gambling galore.  But their dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others who would lead the country's disenfranchised to overthrow their corrupt government and its foreign partners — an epic cultural battle that English captures in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory...