What motivates Dan White (Tim Daly) to kill Mayor George Moscone (Stephen Young) and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk (Peter Coyote)? Based on the play by Emily Mann, we see White, former firefighter and cop, pursue a seat on the board of supervisors. However, the changing views of the city, board politics, outside pressures and financial hardship forces him to resign his seat. When his attempt to regain his position fails, he kills Moscone and Milk. The aftermath of the crime and the resulting verdict (of voluntary manslaughter, not murder) would become even more infamous.