25 January, 1995: A Norwegian science rocket launched to study the Northern Lights triggers a nuclear alert in Russia. The Russian military only have a few minutes to determine whether to launch a retaliatory nuclear attack against the West.
The film centers around three perspectives: The Norwegians – who found themselves
in the middle of a potential international catastrophe. The Russians – who saw what appeared to be a nuclear attack, and faced the pressure of only a few minutes to make
a monumental decision. And finally, the Americans – who hardly heard about the event until after the alert had ended. CAVEAT ANDØYA is the culmination of over three years of research investigating this false alert, and unraveling the mystery that occurred above the north Norwegian sky.