Hart Island is inspired by an actual island of the same name in Pelham Bay, just off the Bronx, above the East River. Since 1869, it has been New York City’s public burial ground and over 1 million people have been buried there. Bodies of the poor, the unclaimed, and the unknown are buried in rudimentary pine boxes and laid in mass graves by inmates at Rikers Island. Infants and young children are also buried on Hart if their parents cannot afford a private funeral. Until very recently, families were not allowed on the island and had no way to visit the graves of their loved ones.

The show, set in 1985, follows two individuals—Charles, an inmate at Rikers Island who is on the Hart Island burial crew, and Marielena, a recent immigrant to the United States. Both have each suffered the loss of a child and are unable to move beyond their pain because they are ignoring their grief. The two are brought together by Hart Island and begin communicating through letters and come to appreciate each other’s humanity, thus helping the other to begin the grieving process - a powerful action in a world that elevates division and isolation over compassion and respect.