"The Cola Conquest" tells the story of Coca-Cola, the “sublimated essence” of all that America stands for and the century-long competition with its arch-rival Pepsi-Cola. Shot in the U.S., Canada, Russia, England, France, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, the Sahara Desert, and China, The Cola Conquest takes us from Coke’s invention by a morphine-addicted Civil War vet to the brink of the 21st century, and explores the delicious paradox at the heat of Coke: How did a soft drink, more than 99% sugar water, come to wield such enormous power and assume such significance in so many people’s lives? And what does it tell us about who we are and what we are becoming? "Part I: The Big Sell": Through a century of image-making with master artists—including the creation of our modern version of Santa—Coke sheds its patent medicine image to become first the drink for young moderns, and finally the most recognized brand name on earth. Coke's success spawns numerous imitators, including Pepsi, which is just another cola until it targets the "Pepsi Generation." With Pepsi's launch of the Michael Jackson campaign, the Cola Wars explode.