Winner

Reality is raised by her mother Billie and father Ron in Texas, developing an interest in social justice and languages. After finishing high school, she joins the Air Force hoping to aid Afghanistan. She is assigned to Fort Meade to run surveillance on the Taliban.

One night at Fort Meade, Reality and her coworker KayLee Thompson uncover a translation about a suspicious package. The discovery leads to the shooting of five individuals. The incident marks a turning point in her view of her work and its impact.

To cope with the trauma from the shooting, Reality becomes a fitness enthusiast and starts volunteering. The routine gives her structure and a way to process what she witnessed. Her life begins to center on resilience and helping others.

Reality starts seeing Andre, a local bartender and aspiring veterinarian. Their relationship provides emotional support amid professional and family stresses. The romance develops as she navigates her career and obligations.

The Winner family dynamics deteriorate: Brittany marries conservative Taylor, and Billie files for divorce from Ron, who falls into depression and alcohol- and pill-addiction. The household strains ripple through Reality's life. The family portrait becomes fractured as time passes.

Two years after the family upheavals, Reality is intrigued by Edward Snowden's leaks. The revelations spark her renewed interest in government transparency and whistleblowing. The interest sets the stage for later actions.

Fed up with the violence of her job, she applies for a humanitarian NGO in Pakistan, hoping to help. She is rejected due to a lack of a college degree. The setback prompts a reassessment of her path and ambitions.

Reality's relationship with Andre ends as their paths diverge. Personal priorities, job demands, and the pressures of her activism strain the bond. She faces another empty space in her personal life.

To cover Ron's healthcare costs, Reality joins Pluribus, a contractor for the NSA. The new job plunges her deeper into the world of surveillance and national security. She enters a field where personal risk and ideological motive clash.

The NSA is flooded with Fox News coverage about alleged Russian interference in elections. Reality discovers evidence of interference within the NSA's files and saves a copy for herself. The find intensifies her conflict between duty and conscience.

Ron is hospitalized for congestive heart failure. On his deathbed, he urges Reality to keep pursuing her beliefs and not abandon her ideals. His words become a source of motivation for her actions.

Reality prints the evidence, sneaks it out of the Pluribus office, and mails it to The Intercept. The act marks a turning point, transforming personal conviction into a public exposure. She hopes to expose wrongdoings while risking her own freedom.

Days later, Reality is confronted outside her home by the FBI. She is interrogated, arrested, and denied bail. The legal proceedings focus on her language skills and sarcastic humor to portray her as a terrorist, and she is placed in solitary confinement.

Billie works to humanize Reality in the media, advocating for her daughter's beliefs and challenging the portrayal of her as a threat. The effort garners public sympathy and highlights the impact of whistleblowing. The family fights to support Reality from outside the system.

Reality is sentenced to five years in federal prison. She finally meets her mother and sister inside the prison and reflects on whether the leak was worth the risk. The story closes with a somber meditation on her actions.