Supreme Court Justice John Clark has been fighting the growing legal power of corporations his whole career. And now, in the year 2045, in a nation ravaged by drought, inflation and food insecurity, this battle has come to a head. A progressive president enacts an ambition farming bill offering direct food assistance to those in need. The program is already feeding millions of Americans. But the future of the program is in doubt as a case against the bill is being heard by a divided Supreme Court.

Lauren Keppinger has no job, her nerves are shot and she hasn’t left her house in six weeks. She hasn’t worked since she quit her job at a food lobbyist over two years ago. And now her journalist husband has written an article about the rampant boozing and whoring of Justice Clark. After an online introduction, Clark and Keppinger form an unlikely alliance, pursuing a desperate plan that shows just how far past the law they’re willing to go to get the result they want.

After an online introduction, Clark and Keppinger form an unlikely alliance, pursuing a desperate plan that shows just how far past the law they’re willing to go to get the result they want.

Germany, 1918. Erich, a young corporal, storms into an office, demanding to see the Supreme commander of German forces. A clerk calls out to soldiers who are supposed to be guarding the door. There’s no reply. He sees blood on Erich’s uniform. The Commander is not in. Erich, showing his weapon, says he will wait.

Flashback to 1914, Germany preparing for war. Erich and Gisela listen as a charismatic young Officer named Cuttner speaks fervently in support of the war. Erich enlists, asking Gisela if she’ll marry him when he returns from war. Asks that she care for his father, an ex-Rabbi who is one of the few voices against the war.

The ambitious Officer Cuttner gets an assignment working for General Von Schlieffen, the nation’s leading military planner. The General is preparing an aggressive plan war strategy. He drafts Cuttner to help him finish the plan. Eventually Schlieffen introduces Cuttner to the Kaiser.

We follow Erich’s experiences in the war. He’s is a natural soldier, immediately a leader among his troops, fearless, and over time, seemingly indestructible. In a series of offensives he’s able to move forward into enemy territory by himself as the majority of his fellow soldiers are killed or wounded. Cuttner is the commander of Erich’s battalion. He uses his connection with Schlieffen and the Kaiser to move quickly up the ranks.

As the 2nd act begins the war is in its fourth year. In a series of letters home we hear Erich’s depression as his inexplicable survival seems to have morphed from a blessing to a curse.

As the outlook for Germany in the war worsens Cuttner is promoted to commander of forces and immediately orders a final offensive, a repeat of Von Schleiffen’s original offensive.

Cuttner assigns Erich to personally deliver the orders to the field generals. Erich reads the orders, quickly seeing not only that the attack plan is doomed, but that the rationale for the initial attack was based on miscalculations and outright lies.

Learning that the war he has dedicated his life to has been fought under false pretenses, Erich abandons his mission and journeys back to central command to meet Cuttner. Their final confrontation illustrates the jarring imbalance between the planning of war and its execution.