The real-life struggle to contain the environmental and financial damage caused to Alaska by the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez is dramatized.

On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez, owned by ExxonMobil, ran aground off the coast of Alaska while carrying a full load of oil. This incident was one of the largest man-made environmental disasters in the world. After the tanker sank and released 50,000 tons of oil, experts were dispatched to assess the damage and clean up the pollution. The search for an apparent culprit sparked conflicts among officials, fishermen, environmentalists, and Exxon bureaucrats.—Hayduke