This is the epic story of Afghanistan seen through the eyes of an Afghan warrior, independent filmmakers and a small group of independent journalists, two who died covering the story. The filmmakers spent more than 20 years documenting the Soviet occupation, the exile of millions of refugees maimed by Soviet mines, a violent civil war, the fatal alliance of the Taliban with al-Qaeda, the invasion by United States forces and people still determined to survive to this day. Filmmakers Jim Burroughs and Suzanne Bauman have a wealth of footage from more than 20 years of following this story, as well as compelling footage from the 1950s and '60s showing life in Afghanistan before the war. The witnesses recall events and tell the story over time growing older through the film. The documentary serves as a testament to the true story of Afghanistan. No insight comes without understanding the past. A history that is not understood is one that will come back to cast a long shadow.