The Palestinian terror group Black September had hijacked the craft and separated passengers into groups of Jews and non-Jews. They declared that they would blow up the plane if Israel did not release hundreds of Palestinians serving prison terms for charges of terrorism.

Cohen takes an elliptical approach in telling the story of Pinchas Rutenberg, a visionary, complex, and larger-than-life figure, who, amongst other things, brought electricity to Jewish Palestine in the early 20th century by building a hydroelectric power station in Nahararyim.