12 Days of Terror

On July 1, 1916, a quiet New Jersey shore is watched by lifeguard Alex Trednot as crowds mill along the surf. Beachgoer Charles Vansant is attacked by an unseen force, leaving him badly hurt and later dead. Alex suspects a shark, but officials dismiss his warning and the beaches remain open.

That evening and in the days that follow, wartime politics and a visit by President Wilson elevate the pressure to keep the beaches open. Community leaders debate safety, while Cap senses the danger beneath the surface.

On July 7, another lifeguard, Danny Bruder, is pulled under while attempting to rescue swimmers and dies. Frustrated and convinced the threat is real, Alex resigns from his post, rejecting politics over people.

Michael Schleisser, a wild animal wrangler in New York City, reads about the attacks and travels to New Jersey to understand what is happening. At a press conference, Museum Director Dr. Frederick Lucas and ichthyologist Dr. John Nichols examine the evidence and search for a way to prevent further tragedies.

Stan tries to convince Alex to return to his post, but Alex remains wary of officials who might prioritize business over people. The growing fear pushes the town to seek practical solutions while questioning those in power.

Cap offers Alex a job helping to install steel nets to deter future attacks, presenting a plan that could restore safety. A boat crew misjudges a sighting and fires on a diver, underscoring the tension between action and accuracy.

With nets in place, the beaches reopen and the mood lightens for a time. However, danger returns when a young boy named Lester is attacked downstream, reigniting the crisis.

Cap spots the shark moving upriver toward Matawan Creek and tries to warn the towns, but many dismiss him as a fool. The sense of looming danger persists as authorities search for the threat.

Stan and his friends dive in with the hope of finding Lester, battling the river’s current and enduring injuries along the way. Stan finally locates Lester, but the relief is short-lived as the shark strikes again and Cap continues the pursuit.

A riverside picnic becomes a flashpoint as a mother and her daughters glimpse the threat and try to warn swimmers. Cap arrives to ram the shark away, forcing it to release the boy Joseph Dunn before it slips back toward the sea.

On the train to the hospital, Stan dies from his injuries, a crushing blow that hardens the town’s resolve to end the terror. The townsfolk grow restless, and a wave of vengeful hunts sweeps the shore as experts urge a careful approach.

The team shifts toward science: Nichols suggests the threat may be a juvenile great white and that the hunt must be collaborative, not solitary. Alex and Schleisser join forces with Cap to pursue the right shark using a coordinated plan.

Schleisser’s net is deployed beneath a small boat, and the juvenile great white surfaces, becoming entangled. After a long, exhausting struggle, the shark dies and is towed ashore for examination.

The captured shark is hung for display, and Dr. Nichols confirms its classification as a juvenile great white. Alex, moved by the events, contemplates a future path in ichthyology while reconciling with Alice.

An autopsy reveals the shark had consumed about 15 pounds of human flesh and bone. Four people were killed, one was severely injured, and Lester’s remains were recovered; scientists remain intrigued and unsettled by the shark’s unusual behavior.