This began their four years of hell, during which Anna nearly dies -- her immune system is compromised and she is misdiagnosed so many times she tries to kill herself. Adam, and Anna's two children from her first marriage, are sick a lot of the time and they finally lose their house. Over 5,000 people were affected by the spill, and by the time Unocal settled in 1998, many had died. Adam and Anna, assisted by Adam's brother Paul, were able to relocate to Alaska -- none of them were able to breathe in urban areas any longer, and Adam had to give up his job as a blueprint draftsman for Bechtel. One year later they started a berry farm, and Anna's health had progressed dramatically. The film ends when Adam, Anna and the children attend a New Year's Eve party in the little town of SeaCliff, where they bought their seven-acre property.

Part of the true-story involves the Response Team for the Chemically Injured and their personnel. These are the only characters in the story whose names have not been changed, by their permission. The response team works throughout California from their base in Atascadero, assisting people who have been exposed to chemical poisoning. During the course of the film several of the RTCI members are also affected by the Catacarb.

The invented characters have to do with Unocal itself -- the yard workers and supervisors. We have invented a secondary story about these characters and their reactions to the spill and its' consequences. Some of the confrontations and decisions made are based on the actual reports of the event. My work on this story began when I was an investigative reporter for Neighborhood America, and I wrote an article for them entitled "Don't Drink the Water". This article is available, and approximately 30 pages of documentary evidence.