The Wave is dependant on a genuine incident that occured in a high school history class in Palo Alto, California, in 1969. The effective makes of group pressure that pervaded many historical movements such as Nazism are recreated in the class when history instructor Burt Ross presents a ‘fresh’ program to his learners. And before long ‘The Wave,’ using its rules of ‘strength through self-discipline, community, and action, ‘ sweeps in the classroom through the whole school. And because so many of the students join the motion, Laurie Saunders and David Collins recognize the frightening momentum of ‘The Influx’ and recognize they must end it before it’s too late.