When four federal agents are killed trying to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidian religious compound outside Waco, Texas in February 1993, the ill-fated raid triggers a 51-day siege led by the FBI, which ends with the compound in flames and more than eighty men, women, and children dead inside, including David Koresh, the group's self-styled messiah. From the ashes of Waco emerges a chilling portrait of a tragically bungled police operation by the federal government.

Armed standoffs with irrational or enraged suspects are the most potentially volatile of all police actions. During these tense showdowns, law enforcement's ‘siege strategy’ can make the difference between a peaceful resolution and a disaster. Key elements in handling the standoff include communication, understanding and patience, but the mindset of the besieged is often a dangerous unknown.