Plot Synopsis

Based on the play by Larry Kramer. In the early 1980s, writer and vocal gay activist Ned Weeks begins to witness a mysterious disease taking the lives of young gay men in his New York City community. Along with his lover and friend, he begins to seek answers and forms a group to raise awareness about this unknown plague. He looks to Dr. Emma Brookner to help treat the earliest victims of HIV-AIDS while he tries to raise funds for research. As the death toll rises, Ned not only fights the political establishment who turn a deaf ear to the gay cancer but also his wealthy brother who would rather spend his money on buying houses. His abrasive and aggressive style soon becomes a threat to the work of the group and he is asked to leave. When his lover, Felix, dies of the disease, Ned is devastated and angry that he didn't do enough to save his life.