XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C. Barton Haynes from the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) has been working in the HIV vaccine field since 1985. Here he talks about the scientific difficulties of finding an HIV vaccine.

French virologist and Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier reflects on the discovery of HIV, discusses disappointments and lessons learned along the way and the possibility of a vaccine, and gives advice for future AIDS researchers.

The primary focus of this documentary is on the history of how the AIDS epidemic started in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York in 1981. Many different stories are told about people affected or surrounded by HIV and AIDS in the early years of the epidemic.