This book describes how, on 26 April 1986, a huge explosion tore apart the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine. As well as giving a dramatic moment-by-moment account of the explosion, it also explains the lead up to how it could take place by looking at Soviet Russia's history. It then goes on to explain the impact this explosion had on the nuclear industry, the environment and how it contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Moment-in-time boxes, describing eye-witness accounts, give a sense of drama and immediacy to the book.