Cold Turkey

Valiant Tobacco, led by Merwin Wren, unveils a publicity stunt offering $25,000,000 to any American town that can quit smoking for 30 days. Wren argues the plan will generate worldwide free publicity and position the company as a humanitarian ally, even if no town can succeed. The framework sets the stage for a nationwide, real-time test of nicotine addiction and community resolve.

Reverend Clayton Brooks learns of the prize and champions Eagle Rock, Iowa, as a spiritual and economic lifeline. He frames the challenge as a moral battle and mobilizes the town's smokers to pledge abstinence. The town hopes the publicity will revive its economy after the base closure.

Brooks signals solidarity with his congregation by resuming smoking himself, blurring the line between minister and campaign organizer. He uses his personal habit as a tool to connect with the townspeople and persuade them to endure the month-long abstinence. The move cements the campaign as a shared struggle.

Brooks visits Edgar Stopworth, a struggling alcoholic, to recruit him. Edgar confesses that his drinking and smoking are intertwined, making abstinence seem impossible. Brooks decides to remove Edgar from town for 30 days to avoid a relapse at the outset.

At midnight, the town pledges go into effect and Eagle Rock becomes the sole city in America with a complete no-smoking pledge. Residents brace for the challenge as authorities monitor compliance. The countdown toward a potential prize creates a national spectacle.

With the ban in place, Brooks grapples with nicotine withdrawal and frustration. His only reprieve comes from frequent sex with his wife, Natalie, a personal release that underscores the campaign's emotional cost. The town's mood alternates between determination and mounting strain.

Merwin reports on the town's progress to Valiant's board and makes clear the company only needs one person to cave. The drive to undermine the effort intensifies as the most vulnerable witnesses—the elderly Doctor Proctor and the mayor's anxious wife—are watched for slips. A sense of pressure builds as the clock ticks on.

Nineteen members of the ultra-conservative Christopher Mott Society are tasked with policing entry routes to Eagle Rock to prevent any tobacco products from entering. Their vigilant presence symbolizes a community-wide commitment to the pledge. The watchful crowd grows as outside forces attempt to sway residents.

As news coverage expands, the town's effort captures national interest, including a Time magazine cover featuring Reverend Brooks. The publicity star turns Brooks into a public figure and an emblem of the town's struggle. The spotlight fuels both hope and pressure among residents.

The Time cover triggers a realization in Brooks that saving the town could crown him a heroic figure. He contemplates how the plan's success would cement his legacy. The idea reframes the challenge from public duty into personal salvation.

Valiant's leadership instructs Merwin to do whatever it takes to force a smoker before the deadline. He is determined to sabotage Eagle Rock's pledge at any cost. The conflict intensifies as the countdown narrows.

With only minutes remaining, Merwin orchestrates a desperate last-ditch scheme to trigger a smoking incident. Helicopters drop cigarettes, a crowd swarms, and a tense chase unfolds as the clock nears midnight. A series of accidental confrontations with a gun-shaped lighter leads to a fatal, intertwining set of shootings.

Eagle Rock completes the pledge and wins the prize, signaling a local victory over tobacco. The president arrives in a motorcade to announce a missile plant for the town, sealing the era of smoky industry with new smokestacks. The final image contrasts the town's triumph with the ominous environmental cost of industrial expansion.