What went wrong at the nuclear power plant? What caused the 'second shudder' when a valve stuck and a crisis occurred?

Chief technician Jack Lemmon, radical photographer Michael Douglas and TV reporter Jane Fonda are determined to find out.

The ensuing developments form a social conscience thriller along the lines of a nuclear Coma.

Even if you have difficulty in following what's going on, the tension propels the story along by itself and the climax, although contrived and drawn out, is unbearably suspenseful.