From Hells Angels to teenagers to born-again Christians to stay-at-home mums, methamphetamine is the US national drug of choice. How could a relatively minor local drug trend spread so rapidly, breach barriers of age and class, and become a national scourge? In this panoramic, character-driven story, Frank Owen follows users, creators, couriers and law enforcers to uncover meth's fascinating history as a medicine, as fuel for Hitler's storm troopers, and finally as a uniquely American 'epidemic' with no end in sight.