Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) is one of the most dangerous and psychopathic gangsters in “White Heat.” His ambition is to reach the “top of the world.” One of his accomplices is his own mother (Margaret Wycherly) to whom he is closely tied. She is the only one who can help him with his headaches. When he is put in prison, the FBI plants an agent named Vic (Edmond O’Brien) into Cody’s cell to infiltrate his gang. They later break out of prison, and Cody plans a Trojan Horse robbery of immense proportions. But, along the way, things become more violent and go more wrong. One partner is severely burned in a botched robbery. A hostage is given a little air with bullets when he complains of being put into a stuffy car trunk. When Cody is cornered, his climb to the top of chemical oil tanks leads to one of the more apocalyptic finishes to modern gangsters.