In the 1940s, the uranium for the Manhattan Project was secretly supplied from a mine in the Canadian Arctic. At the time, no one knew what the effects of uranium in any of its forms would be on human life. Mined by indigenous people, there was little attention given to the fact that many in the community later sickened and died from various cancers. In addition, a valuable source of fresh water became contaminated.

This groundbreaking documentary travels to the Arctic, New Mexico, Shanghai, Hiroshima, and New York City to follow the multimillion dollar investigation into the effects on those who were witnesses to the dawn of the atomic age.

With the promise of huge profits, a uranium exploration company is eager to reopen the abandoned mine in the Arctic, called Somba Ke by the local people. Renewed mining in the uranium-rich north promises new economic opportunities to impoverished First Nations. With dire warnings about the world's dwindling oil supplies and concerns over global warming, nuclear power is increasingly embraced. This powerful documentary is a stark reminder of the human cost of this endeavor.