In the dead of night in 1995, Russian President Boris Yeltsin is abruptly awakened by reports of a potential U.S. missile strike detected by radar. Believing it might be the beginning of a nuclear attack, Russian forces prepare for retaliation. With 480 Seconds to decide, Yeltsin activates the nuclear briefcase-marking the first and only time it was ever used-but ultimately holds off, avoiding catastrophic war after realizing it was a false alarm caused by a Norwegian scientific rocket.
