The oldest daughter of an impoverished Montreal family, Monique Sparvieri vows to find a way to get out of the ghetto in which she lives. Abandoned by Michael, the love of her life, Monique finds herself alone again when her second husband, Gaston, is sentenced to ten months in prison. While many other women her age are still dreaming of Prince Charming, Monique takes her own destiny in her hands. She and her new love, Gerald Simard, plan a series of bank robberies. Intoxicated by passion and success, Monique isn't afraid of anything and she wants to make sure that her children don't experience the same miserable upbringing as she did.

Montréal, 1967. Monique Sparvieri, une jeune mère a vécu, durant sa jeunesse, sous le joug de la pauvreté et de la violence dans le quartier Centre-sud de Montréal. Après des échecs amoureux cuisants, des fréquentations douteuses l'amènent à explorer le milieu de la criminalité. Laissant sa marque par d'audacieux cambriolages de banques, celle qu'on surnomma Monica la mitraille doit jongler avec sa nouvelle vie de talentueuse criminelle qui, croit-elle, empêchera ses enfants de subir les mêmes affres sociales qui l'ont modelée.