On October 3, 1985, Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled Jewish New Yorker, and his wife boarded the Achille Lauro to celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary with a Mediterranean cruise. Four days later, Palestinian fedayeen hijacked the liner; Klinghoffer was shot and thrown overboard. His murder became a flashpoint in the struggle between Israelis and Arabs and gave Americans a horrifying preview of what it means when terrorism hits home. Through intimate interviews with almost all living participants, including one of the hijackers, Julie Salamon brings alive the saga of the hijacking, the ensuing international manhunt, and the inside story of the controversial 1991 opera about the tragedy that provoked a culture war.