When journalist Jack Carter is held prisoner by an oppressive government years after a divisive election, he recounts democracy's swan song to a young soldier.

When journalist Jack Carter is held prisoner by an oppressive government years after a divisive election, he recounts democracy's swan song to a young soldier. Six years before Jack's imprisonment, he experiences first hand the election that led the country to its demise through the eyes of his girlfriend Karen Ross, who becomes a staffer for controversial presidential candidate William Douglas.