"Few historical conflicts have been as frequently referenced and yet as poorly understood as the War of 1812 - and yet this was a pivotal struggle, one that singlehandedly determined the entire fate of the North American continent. As produced by the public television affiliate WNED (Buffalo-Toronto) and originally screened on PBS, this program attempts to clarify the ambiguity surrounding the conflict, demonstrating how it almost brought a permanent end to Canada and split the United States into two factions. The film makes use of such elements as historical reenactments, animation and interviews with historials. Joe Mantegna (Things Change) narrates."