In THE BRINK OF WAR, it's October 1986. U.S. President Ronald Reagan (Jeff Daniels) and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (Jared Harris) travel to Reykjavík, Iceland, for a two-day summit to discuss the reduction—or possible elimination—of nuclear weapons. The men, who sit at a table in a room by themselves, quickly realize that they both want to end the nuclear threat, but then they start to disagree on other things. Reagan asks a special favor: to allow the sister of noted cellist Mstislav Rostropovich to visit her brother in the United States for his birthday. Gorbachev refuses to consider this. Reagan insists on continuing to test his SDI shield system, which Gorbachev finds unacceptable. The men begin squabbling, Reagan taking jabs at Soviet socialism and Gorbachev criticizing the United States' racist history. The summit ends with both men frustrated, having reached no agreement. But Secretary of State George Shultz (J.K. Simmons) has one last idea that just might work.