Deterrence

Set in the year 2008, a political thriller which takes place over the course of an election evening. When Walter Emerson, the embattled incumbent President of the United States, finds himself trapped in Colorado by a freak snowstorm, he and his entourage must seek refuge in a diner. As President Emerson, his Chief of Staff Marshall Thompson and National Security advisor Gayle Redford view the election returns at the diner and hear the news of his victory in a crucial primary, the broadcast is interrupted by reports of an international incident with U.N. forces overrun and numerous Americans killed. As the President decides on a course of action, he addresses the nation from the diner. During a live worldwide broadcast, Emerson threatens the unthinkable, a nuclear confrontation. Is he bluffing, or is he willing to risk the lives of millions?