Belarus writer Svetlana Alexievich, winner of a 2015 Nobel Prize, is known for her unique testimonial documentary style. She strives to capture the voices of "the little people" -- those at risk of being buried in the histories of their states. She is especially known for her chronicle of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, to which she devoted 10-plus years. Her birthplace was contaminated, and she lost her sister to cancer after Chernobyl, where Alexievich went immediately to gather the stories of survivors of those killed and others who were exposed. Part 1 follows the writer as she travels to pursue her stories, featuring footage NHK began to film in 2000, to depict the experience of Chernobyl through the eyes of "the little people".