In this first episode, Lyse tracks of the first months of the uprising through to the chemical attack in Ghouta that finally revealed the reluctance of the US to intervene in the war, despite the crossing of President Obama's 'red line' on chemical weapons. It starts by telling the story of two characters in Homs - one a protester, the other a government loyalist.

This second episode picks up the action as Raqqa falls to a mixture of Islamist and moderate forces. The story of the extraordinary events of the following months is told by two characters.