How can an open society balance demands for security with democracy? Dramatized are the human and societal costs a democracy faces when it embarks on a "war" against terror, potentially without end, all too easily exploited by unscrupulous leaders seeking personal political gain. Personal testimony, history and archival footage tell the story of escalating violence in the Andean nation and how the fear of terror undermined their democracy, making Peru a virtual dictatorship where official corruption replaced the rule of law. Terrorist attacks by Shining Path insurgents provoked a military occupation of the countryside. Military justice replaced civil authority, widespread abuses by the Peruvian Army went unpunished, and terrorism continued to spread. Nearly 70,000 civilians eventually died at the hands of Shining Path and the Peruvian military.