The Assassination of Richard Nixon

In 1973, Sam Bicke, a 43-year-old salesman from Philadelphia, faces a series of unfortunate events that leave him struggling. Driven by his principles, he chooses to quit his job at his brother Julius's tire shop, unable to reconcile his role in lying to customers.

Sam's attempts to reconnect with his estranged wife, Marie, prove futile as she continues to reject him. This emotional turmoil deepens as Marie eventually sends him a divorce decree, leaving Sam heartbroken.

In a misguided effort to understand societal inequalities, Sam attempts to align himself with the Black Panthers, believing that poor white people share similar struggles to racial minorities. His intentions reflect a desperation to find a place in a world that seems to exclude him.

Sam secures a position at an office furniture store, where he faces condescension from his boss, Jack. Despite Jack's advice, Sam's social awkwardness leads to consistently poor sales performance, saturating him with a sense of inadequacy.

As time progresses, Sam's frustration with his societal position intensifies. After sending a government loan application to fund a mobile tire business with his friend Bonny, he anxiously awaits a response that never arrives, compounding his sense of hopelessness.

In a fit of rage, Sam deliberately sabotages a sale at work to express his discontent, leading to his eventual resignation. He watches the Watergate scandal unfold on television, echoing his disdain with a potent shout at Nixon, stating, 'It's about money, Dick!'

Desperate for funding, Sam resorts to breaking into his brother’s tire shop to place an order for Bonny. His ongoing struggles deepen when he discovers that his loan application has been denied, leaving him financially stranded and abandoned by his brother.

Sam begins to develop an obsession with Richard Nixon, particularly after witnessing a news segment involving a helicopter pilot’s arrest. This fixation escalates into a dark plan, where he contemplates hijacking a plane as a means of making a statement.

In a prelude to chaos, Sam withdraws his savings and steals Bonny's gun. He hesitates when targeting Jack at a restaurant and ultimately panics, showcasing his internal conflict and desperation as he flees from the scene.

After a sleepless night in his abandoned home, Sam commits an irrational act of violence against his family dog, indicating his deteriorating mental state. This harrowing moment is a precursor to the violence he is about to unleash upon the world.

With a gun concealed and a suitcase full of gasoline, Sam arrives at the Baltimore–Washington International Airport after mailing a confession to Leonard Bernstein. Panic ensues when he encounters heightened security and rushes onto a plane, resulting in chaos and violence.

Once aboard the plane, Sam begins firing indiscriminately at the cockpit, fatally wounding one pilot and injuring another. In his frantic bid for control, he coerces a passenger to assume the role of co-pilot, showcasing his unraveling grip on reality.

As law enforcement attempts to intervene, Sam is shot by officers trying to subdue him. In a tragic culmination of his descent into madness, he chooses suicide over capture, encapsulating the despair that defined his final moments.

Following Sam's death, the repercussions of his actions resonate across the nation. Coverage of the tragic event reveals a stark contrast to the apathy of Bonny and Marie, who show little to no reaction to the calamity that unfolded around them.