Synopsis
The story begins on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the terrorist attacks. It reads like a novel, but the characters are real. A Customs inspector somehow has to guard against a nuclear bomb that could be hidden in a container cargo on his dock in N.Y. harbor. A young woman in N.J. has to cope with suddenly being widowed with 3 young children. Red Cross Pres. Bernadine Healy has to figure out how to collect & allocate donations while dodging a hostile board of dir. The proprietor of a shoe repair shop has to rebuild a bus. buried in the rubble of Ground Zero. Drawing on 347 interviews & revelations from memos of gov't. meet., court filings, etc., Brill shows how these & other players in this real-life drama cross paths & fight for their own interests.