In August 2000, an explosion tore through the Russian submarine Kursk during a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, trapping survivors in the wreck as the Kremlin stalled on accepting outside help. This second part digs into the diplomatic fallout, drawing on first-hand testimony from President Bill Clinton, an American submarine commander who tracked the disaster in real time, and families of the trapped submariners still waiting for answers. Rescue divers describe finally reaching the stricken vessel, and the film uses that footage alongside archival material to reconstruct how the crisis played out both underwater and inside the White House. The larger argument is about Vladimir Putin, newly installed as Russian president, and how his slow, defensive response to the disaster and the ensuing media backlash hardened his approach to power and to the press for the rest of his rule. Interviews are cut against period news footage to keep the ten-day timeline tight and the political stakes clear.