Based on a true story, young Sadako faces the battle of her life when she is diagnosed with "atomic bomb disease" (leukemia). She turns to her native Japanese beliefs and makes one thousand paper cranes so the gods will grant her wish to be well.

The power and destruction of the atomic bomb is revealed through the experiences of those involved in and impacted by the decision to drop the first one on Hiroshima. Includes the amazing story of one man who survived the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.