On a hot, humid July morning just before dawn, the thundering roar of a massive explosion in the Norfolk and Western Railway yard awakened the people of Decatur, Illinois. By the time the fires were out, several thousand people had been evacuated, millions of dollars of damage sustained, over three-hundred people injured, and seven men were dead. At the time of the explosion, student engineer Lee Grove is negotiating life and working on the railroad. He soon learns from work acquaintances that local railroad officials are hiding information about the explosion from the National Transportation Safety Board. Concerned for his job, but wanting to do the right thing, Lee finds an unusual method for getting the facts to the Federal Investigators ... his wife.