Chicago firefighting brothers Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian (William Baldwin) have been rivals since childhood. Brian, fighting to prove himself, transfers to the arson unit. There, he assists Donald “Shadow” Rimgale (Robert De Niro) in his investigation into a rash of fires involving oxygen-induced infernos called "backdrafts." But when a conspiracy implicating a corrupt politician and an arsonist leads Brian back to Stephen, he is forced to overcome his brotherly competitiveness in order to solve the mystery.