The government's historic proposal to bail out the U.S. banking system is raising as many questions as it is offering solutions. Some in Congress are warning against reacting too quickly; others want conditions that protect homeowners, increase oversight, and limit the compensation of corporate executives. But the number one question on the minds of Americans: How will this affect me? NOW on PBS goes inside the round-the-clock efforts in Washington to craft a bailout plan of historic dimensions.

NOW's cameras follow AFL-CIO Associate General Counsel Damon Silvers as he works to get help for working Americans in addition to bailing out financial firms in distress. Silvers, an architect of the major provisions Congressional Democrats are pushing for in the bill, provides key insight on the stake ordinary working Americans have in the fate of this proposal, and on what comes next.