More than 50 years after Charles Manson's shocking murders, David Krajicek takes a fresh look at his life and crimes in the context of the swinging Sixties. Following Manson's trail from his impoverished Appalachian childhood to California in the Summer of Love, Krajicek looks for explanations. Using Manson's own words and those of his naive followers, Krajicek shows how the manipulative ex-convict managed to build a harem of acolytes who committed murder on his behalf, including that of the emerging film star Sharon Tate.