American scandal uses dramatizations that are based on true events.

Some elements, including dialogue, might be invented, but everything is based on historical research.

It's around 9.30 a.m. on July 19th, 1969, on Chappaquittic Island in Massachusetts.

Local police chief Dominic Arena and fire department scuba diver John Ferrar stumble up the sandy

shore carrying a stretcher. On it lies the body of a young woman. Just over an hour ago,

a pair of fishermen reported that they found a car upside down in the water near the beach. When Chief

Arena ran the automobile's license plate, he was shocked to learn it was registered to Senator Ted

Kennedy. But an even more disturbing discovery awaited inside the car.

The dead woman on the stretcher was in her 20s, dressed in a sodden white blouse and navy blue

slacks. Her body shows almost no signs of visible injury, which is unusual for someone

who's just been in a car accident. But Chief Arena is still in the dark about

the woman's identity, and he doesn't know if Senator Kennedy is even aware of the crash.

Arena nods toward his deputy's police cruiser. So let's put her in the backseat for now. We don't

need people standing around gawking.

Arena signals another officer to open the cruiser's rear door. Then he and Farrar slide the stretcher onto the backseat. All right, now we just need to figure out who this poor girl is.

Well, I'll see if there's anything left in the car. Maybe there's an ID floating around somewhere.

That'd be good. Thanks, John.

Ferrar walks back toward the water and wades in. Arena turns to his fellow officer with some

orders. Would you call the medical examiner? And the undertaker, too? And we need to get a tow truck

out here to pull the car from the water. The officer nods and hops in the front seat to use the radio.

And while he's making these calls, Arena turns to a local man who's wandered over to watch.

Hey, sir, could you do me a favor? I'm a little short-handed here, and I need someone to head down to

...