Mobilized to action in 1986 after hearing about the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Streisand holds a concert in her backyard to raise funds for politicians who support anti-nuclear policies. Streisand is terrified even though she is only performing in front of her friends because she has not performed live since her show in Central Park. The event is intended to be broadcast, under the condition that if Streisand doesn’t like the film, it would be shelved. The concert raises $1.5 million and changes the political majority of the Senate. Streisand uses the proceeds from the TV special to start the Barbra Streisand Foundation, which supports the environment, nuclear disarmament, and human rights.

Streisand falls in love with the play The Normal Heart, about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and intends to make it into a film. Initially, she works with playwright Larry Kramer on the screenplay; when he sues for the rights to the story, Streisand doesn’t give up on the project and convinces him to commit to it again. Nevertheless, more complications in their relationship force Streisand to get another screenwriter; Kramer rails against her changes that soften his focus on sexuality. Eventually, she steps aside after Kramer vindictively outs her son in the press.