The documentary begins with a shocking scene, as a bomb explodes and reduces buildings to rubble. We see men trying to save people, including a number of young children, who are stuck in collapsed buildings. As the scene ends, we hear another bomb exploding. We are then told that "after five years of war, over 400,000 Syrians have been killed and millions have fled their homes," and that a group of volunteers called The White Helmets are depended upon by those who remain.
The setting is Aleppo city in Syria, and there we meet a man called Khalid Farah, who has a wife and a young daughter. He volunteers for The White Helmets and cites his family as a key motivator for continuing with the rescue missions. We then meet Abu Omar, a former blacksmith who is also a volunteer for The White Helmets. He says "we just hope that the bombing and airstrikes stop." Afterwards, we meet a third volunteer, Mohammed, who has previously fought for the opposition. After seeing the destruction that the regime caused for civilians, he decided to instead volunteer for The White Helmets, saying that it is "better to rescue a soul than to take one."
We then see The White Helmets on a rescue mission, as they hear a bomb exploding in the city. They arrive at the scene of the incident and rescue the civilians who have been caught in the explosion, including young children. They enter the building, looking for civilians who are missing and have not been accounted for. We are told that The White Helmets, which is also known as the Syria Civil Defence, is an organization of 2,900 volunteers, working across the country.
Khalid speaks about the impact that finding dead bodies has on him, saying that it "affects [him] a lot." We are then shown a scene of the volunteers finding a dead body among the rubble after a bomb explosion. Not only do The White Helmets have to deal with the deaths of civilians, but also the deaths of fellow volunteers. Khalid tells us that he lost two friends who were very dear to him, and Abu tells us that thirty volunteers had been killed in Aleppo city alone.
After, Mohammaed tells us a story about two barrel bombs being set off in Aleppo. In the rubble, the volunteers found a baby after hours of searching, who they called "the miracle baby." He was only two weeks old when found, and survived as a result of The White Helmet's efforts. Afterwards, the men visit a training camp for potential volunteers, where they learn various skills such as using equipment to hear people under the rubble.
We then cross the Syrian border, where there is "no war, no devastation, no destruction." Mohammed remarks how "Just by crossing the border it's so strange how the situation can change." The volunteers are told that there are currently 200 raids a day in Syria, with each rocket being able to destroy a whole neighborhood.
The documentary then turns to a more hopeful note, and the volunteers share their feelings of optimism for a better future. They are visited by "the miracle baby," who is now older, and reflect on what the baby had taught them about hope and perseverance.
