On the morning of June 19th of 1914, a massive methane and coal dust explosion rocked the Hillcrest Collieries coal mine in the Crowsnest Pass of southwestern Alberta, Canada. Once the rescue and recovery efforts were over, the death toll stood at 189. Of the 235 men who entered the mine that morning, only 46 survived. It remains to this day, the worst mining disaster in Canadian history. With historical stills of the actual events, dramatized segments, and contemporary video of the mine site, The Devil's Breath tells the story of the founding, explosion, investigations, operation, and final closure of the mine in 1939. This investigative 48-minute documentary asks what happened and why, and in the process, discovers a poignant story of pain and loss never before told in such detail with facts and information hidden in archives until now.