At the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, New York was one of the cities where infection rates exploded and the morality rate skyrocketed. The First Wave follows the stories of people who faced grave situations caused by the Corona virus, and the doctors and nurses who tried their best to save lives in New York hospitals from March to June of 2020. Matthew Heineman shows the harsh reality and shocking truth of the pandemic situation at the time in this documentary. The First Wave is a powerful and important documentary designed to make audience members appreciate medical workers, not just in New York, but all around the world, who daily risk their lives to save those of others.