It is based on John Ball's 1965 novel of the same name and tells the story of Virgil Tibbs, a black police detective from Philadelphia, who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi.
Film tersebut berdasarkan pada novel bernama sama tahun 1965 karya John Ball dan mengisahkan cerita Virgil Tibbs, seorang detektif polisi kulit hitam asal Philadelphia, yang ikut dalam penyelidikan pembunuhan di sebuah kota kecil di Mississippi.