The documentary charts Saddam Hussein's rise to power and discusses his political opportunism and the atrocities committed by his government—including the targeted attacks on the Kurds and the invasion of Kuwait. The film begins with amateur footage from the first day of the invasion of Kuwait and continues with stock historical footage from early Iraqi history, including the colonial involvement of America and Britain. Blending archival footage with more recent footage of Saddam Hussein, Al Qassem, the Ba’ath Party, and Colonel Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, the film presents Iraq's history and the part Saddam Hussein has played in it.