It is Chicago, in the summer of 1995, and an intense heat wave has gripped the city with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees. By the time it’s all over, 739 people will have died, mostly the poor, elderly, or minorities with nowhere to seek shelter. As the morgues overflow, the city’s emergency response team is called into question. The Mayor’s Office combats the criticism with a public relations campaign that successfully turns the blame onto the victims and their families.

As Chicago approaches the 20th anniversary of that summer, Heat Wave tells the incendiary story of those who were made invisible and the resulting inflammation of civic passions, reminding Chicagoans of their strengths and city leaders of their responsibilities to citizens across all spectrums.