The rivalry between two remarkable men — Howard Hughes and Juan Trippe — defined the modern airline business. Martin Scorsese’s 2004 movie, The Aviator, spotlit the titanic clash which culminated in a 1947 Senate hearing. American Obsession tells, for the first time, the extraordinary and intertwined histories of two immensely different, but equally powerful characters. Hughes was the eccentric, reclusive playboy pilot who bedded Hollywood’s most beautiful starlets. Trippe was the urbane, calculating empire builder, who spent a lifetime building influence in Washington, only to have it shattered by a maverick from Texas who was fighting a losing battle with madness.