The most serious power grid failure in American history was caused by a magnetic storm in the earth's upper atmosphere, itself triggered by the eruption of a huge flare from the surface of the sun.

On March 13, 1989, the lights went out all across Canada and the eastern seaboard of the United States as far south as New York. The most serious power grid failure in American history was caused by a magnetic storm in the earth's upper atmosphere, itself triggered by the eruption of a huge flare from the surface of the sun. Unusual as this event may seem, many scientists today are beginning to worry that it may be a harbinger of things to come, and that changes to the planet's magnetic field could make earth ever more vulnerable to deadly radiation from space. This film explores one of the least-known but most serious threats to life on earth.