Plot

Mariane Pearl embarks on a frantic search to locate her journalist husband Daniel when he goes missing in Pakistan.

On January 23, 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is to fly from Karachi to Dubai with his pregnant wife, Mariane, also a reporter. On the day before, with great care, he has arranged an interview in a café with an Islamic fundamentalist cleric. When Danny doesn't return, Mariane initiates a search. Pakistani police, American embassy personnel, and the FBI examine witnesses, phone records, e-mails, and hard drives. Who has him? Where is he? There's also the why: because of U.S. abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo, because of a history of Journal cooperation with the CIA, because Pearl is a Jew? Through it all, Mariane is clearheaded, direct, and determined.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

On January 23, 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) is to fly from Karachi to Dubai with his pregnant wife, Mariane (Angelina Jolie), also a reporter. He was covering the war in Afghanistan. After the initial bombing campaign from Oct, many journalists had moved on, but Danny and Mariane stayed to report on nuclear weapons, Al-Qaeda and so on. US was hunting for Bin Laden in Tora Bora and many Afghan militants had crossed the border into Peshawar, the birthplace of Al-Qaeda. America was considered the enemy here, and Al-Qaeda were their Muslim brothers. Asra Nomani (Archie Panjabi) handles Danny's appointments and travel schedules.

On the day before, he has an interview with an Islamic fundamentalist Sheikh Gilani (Ikram Bhatti), Cleric & founder of Jamaat Ul-Fuqra (Aim to purify Islam via violence. Connected to Richard Reid, the shoe bomber. Connected to bombers of the world trade center in 1993). When Danny doesn't return, Mariane initiates a search. She also informs Danny's parents (Judea Pearl (Jeffry Kaplow) and Ruth Pearl (Perrine Moran)). Masud (Daud Khan) the Fixer, founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed and mentor to Sheikh Omar had fixed the meeting between Danny and Gilani. Via emails Mariane knew that Danny was in touch with Bashir. She contacts Masud for Bashir's contact number, but Masud evades her.

Pakistani police, American embassy personnel, and the FBI examine witnesses, phone records, e-mails, and hard drives. Randall Bennett (Will Patton) is Special Agent U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). John Bussey (Denis O'Hare) Wall Street Journal Foreign Editor and Danny's boss. Javid Habib (Irrfan Khan), SSP CID, Karachi (Character based on Zeeshan Kazmi, Karachi Police Chief). Dost Aliani (Adnan Siddiqui) is Military Intelligence. Maureen Platt (Jillian Armenante) is FBI and specializes in cyber tools. John Bauman (William Hoyland), U.S. Consul-General

Masud comes to meet Mariane and Asra accuses him of selling Danny to Al-Qaeda. Masud says Danny met Bashir via Arif. He doesn't know Arif but won't give the name of the contact who knew Arif and connected them to Bashir. Javid traces the taxi driver that drove Danny that night to the meeting. The driver says that he dropped Danny at a restaurant outside Karachi and after Danny received a call, he let the driver go. Asra is an Indian and is accused of being an Indian spy. Steve LeVine (Gary Wilmes), Wall Street Journal Central Asia Correspondent arrives in Karachi. Steve and Danny worked together in Islamabad. Mariane tells Javid that Danny is Hebrew, and he tells her not to reveal this to anyone.

The kidnappers keep their hopes alive by posting videos of Danny. They say that Danny is a CIA agent and wants better treatment of Jihadis in Guantanamo Bay in exchange for better treatment of Danny in captivity. Bauman and Mariane meet Moinuddin Haider (Bilal Saeed), Interior Minister of Pakistan, and request him for a nationwide hunt for Danny. Haider blames the kidnapping on RAW, to embarrass Pakistan.

By 29th Jan, the local police reach Arif's house by tracking phone numbers and past CDRs of all suspects. They find that Arif's claims that he died in Afghanistan, but the police suspect he is hiding in Muzaffarabad. The CIA issue a statement stating that Danny is not working for the US Govt in any capacity. Another email comes demanding action within 24 hours, else Danny will be killed. Mariane goes to TV to appeal to the kidnappers that Danny is just a journalist. Colin Powell rejects the kidnappers demands on TV.

A few days later Javid calls Bussey that Danny's body has been found. But Bussey looks at the body and knows that it's not Danny. It was an Iranian student. Javid arrests Sheikh Gilani when he is on an incoming flight into Pakistan. Javid ascertains that Gilani was not involved with the kidnapping of Daniel. He was just the bait. The team tracks the computer from which the Bashir emails were sent. The computer was in a residential building, and they arrest the guy who had installed 20 PCs in that building. He confesses to working with his brother in Karachi. They arrest the brother, Suleiman. Through Suleiman, they track down and arrest a Jihadi ex-policeman Farhad who confesses to sending the emails on behalf of cleric Sheikh Omar (Alyy Khan). Javid attacks Omar's house and arrests his entire family. He calls Omar. Javid realizes Bashir is Omar Sheikh.

Omar was arrested in India in 1994 for the kidnapping of 4 tourists and released in 1999 in a hostage swap. Omar is Al-Qaeda. Omar had even sent money to Mhd Atta before 9/11. 2 days before Danny's kidnapping, US asked Pakistan to hand over Omar Sheikh. Omar Sheikh is found on Feb 12th, and it turns out that he had already surrendered to the ISI on Feb 5th, when Javid Arrested his family. Omar is taken to court where he deposes that Daniel is most likely dead. A nationwide manhunt is launched by President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf to find Danny.

Bussey receives a tape from a local Pakistani journalist that shows that Danny has been beheaded. Mariane is devastated. IN a media interview she refuses to blame Pakistan. She thanks her entire team who helped to find Danny. Mariane goes back to Paris. They found Danny's body cut into 10 pieces. She decides to make a film on Danny. Danny was held in a shack outside of Karachi and was probably beheaded on Feb 1st. Omar was sentenced to death and his co-conspirators got 25 yrs in jail. Khalid Sheikh Mhd beheaded Danny is in US custody in Cuba.