In 1978 the New York band Blondie had two punk albums behind them and were establishing a name for themselves as a live band. Then Chrysalis Records executive Terry Ellis saw them and spent $1m buying out their recording contract. Now he had to make his investment pay and to do this he had to ensure that their next album was a hit – no room for error. He brought in maverick Australian record Producer Mike Chapman, but did the band have the hits?

The recording came at a time when things were changing outside the studio too. Crime in the city was rampant and poverty, especially on the lower East Side, endemic. But the arts scene was expanding and thriving. This film tells the story of an album that would sell over 16 million copies, but began in the dingy and dangerous streets of New York.