The stories of three men: one who terrorized the U.S. from 1978 to 1995 by sending bombs through the mail; his brother who suspected him of being the Unabomber; and the postal inspector who investigated the bombings from the beginning.
The real story behind the hunt for Ted Kaczynski, later known as the Unabomber, a terrorist who sent several bombs through the mail, alarming authorities and society. The movie follows a postal inspector who tracks down the suspect; an obstinate detective; and Kaczynski's brother, who suspected Ted after the publication of the Unabomber's manifesto, which explained his reasons for the bombings.—Rodrigo Amaro
In the rugged mountains of Montana, an FBI strike force led by postal inspector Ben Jeffries swoops down on the one-room shack of Ted Kaczynski to execute a search warrant. We see Kaczynski stick his head out of his shack.
In FLASHBACK we see the first mail bombs: one blows up in the hands of a university security guard and another forces an airplane to land when smoke from the mail in the cargo fills the cabin. Ben Jeffries examines and extracts a few clues from the bomb.
Ted Kaczynski and his brother, David, go hunting near Ted's shack in Montana. Ted is happy being isolated and encourages his brother to do the same, but David, while loving nature, prefers to have some contact with others and hopes to have a family one day. David is puzzled by Ted's lack of interest in having a family or even a relationship. David meets Linda, an old girlfriend, and they make a date.
Other bombs are received in the mail by various victims and go off, doing increasing damage until they kill someone. Jeffries interviews surviving victims and witnesses.
Kaczynski plants bombs personally and in one instance, a witness sees him, leading to a sketch being made of him.
As the case drags on over the years, the task force members, including Jeffries and FBI agents, become frustrated. Jeffries is forced to retire after Kaczynski goes dormant.
When Kaczynski starts bombing again, Jeffries is brought out of retirement and put on a renewed task force. Kaczynski then sends out his manifesto, and investigators decide to have it published. Jeffries interviews surviving victims to see if they recognize someone from their past in the writing style, but none do.
Using an apparent Social Security number from a Unabomber letter to a newspaper, the task force finds an ex-convict with that number, but Jeffries concludes that the Unabomber stole the man's wallet and is using the number to lead investigators on a wild goose chase.
Meanwhile, David Kaczynski keeps being haunted by similarities between the Unabomber and his brother such as, everywhere the bombs go off is someplace he knows his brother has been. Also, the Unabomber uses odd phrases that are typical of Ted and David's mother. When David reads the manifesto, he notices further similarities between it and other writings and letters he has received from his brother over the years. He also finds out from a mutual acquaintance that Ted claims he doesn't have any money, but David just sent Ted $3,000 and wonders what Ted is he doing with the money.
David and his wife, Linda, agonize over whether or not to tell authorities about their suspicions. What if they are wrong? They contact a private investigator who connects them with an attorney who passes Ted's writings on to the Unabomber task force. Although David wishes that Ted never finds out who turned him in, David finally goes to the task force in person, knowing that this might become public knowledge.
FLASHFORWARD to Ted Kaczynski's shack as the Unabomber emerges. When he turns his back, the FBI grabs him and cuffs him. At first he resists but then tries to talk his way out of it, asking whether he is under arrest. Technically, he is told he isn't, but the search warrant is to be executed before it is decided whether he can be let go.
Legends across the screen say that 700 incriminating items were found during the search. Kaczynski was arrested and charged in the bombings. David Kaczynski only gave one interview and otherwise kept a low profile. Jeffries is actually a composite character, mainly based on postal inspector Tony Muljat who was later given the handcuffs used in the arrest of Ted Kaczynski.
