This documentary tells the story of families living near the Trinity site when the first atomic bomb was secretly detonated in 1945. They were unwilling participants in the testing of a nuclear weapon. They were never warned about eating their crops, consuming the milk from their cows, or drinking the rain water they collected from their roofs — all of which was contaminated from the nuclear fallout. These residents, their children, and their grandchildren were left to deal with radiation-induced cancers and horrific illnesses caused by the early morning blast on July 16, 1945.
The Trinity Downwinders have been left out of the history books. Victims of nuclear testing in other states are eligible for compensation and medical help through The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). However, New Mexicans who lived near the Trinity Site are excluded from this legislation. They and their descendants are not eligible for any compensation or medical coverage.