The Beginning or the End

A newsreel-style prelude presents the film as part of a package about atomic energy. It notes that the atomic bomb is sealed in a time capsule buried in California, to be opened in 2446. The sequence frames the rest of the story as a documentary-style account of scientific power and its consequences.

Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer extols the discovery of atomic energy as a milestone in science. He also warns of the tremendous danger if the power is misused. His stance sets up the film's moral tension between scientific achievement and potential catastrophe.

Albert Einstein helps frame the briefing to the President about the monumental discovery. The scene underscores the alliance between theoretical breakthroughs and wartime urgency. It signals the government's growing interest in pursuing a nuclear program.

A team including Matt Cochran and other leading physicists informs the President that a monumental scientific breakthrough has been achieved. They outline the potential military applications and stress the wartime urgency driving the effort.

In 1941, Roosevelt approves up to two billion dollars for the Manhattan Project. The financial commitment underpins the rapid mobilization of scientists and industry. This funding catalyzes the wartime nuclear program.

In December 1942, scientists achieve the first controlled chain reaction beneath a stadium at the University of Chicago. Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nixon and international observers witness the milestone, which demonstrates the feasibility of a fission-based weapon. The success validates the core scientific concept behind the project.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nixon is assigned to General Leslie Groves, the project chief overseeing the effort. Nixon's role becomes essential for coordinating researchers, engineers, and military components. The assignment links military oversight with scientific teams.

Groves leads an effort to consolidate scientists, industry, and defense into a cohesive development program. He works to overcome bureaucratic obstacles and keeps momentum toward weapon production. This centralized leadership is crucial for rapid progress.

In 1945, President Roosevelt dies and Harry S. Truman assumes office. Truman continues support for the project, which is relocated to Los Alamos, New Mexico. The move concentrates the effort in a single, specialized site for weapon development.

Facing stiff resistance in the Pacific War, Truman orders the use of the atomic bomb against Japan in July 1945. The decision accelerates the war toward its conclusion and marks the onset of a new era in military technology. It puts the weapon from the lab into imminent combat use.

Cochran and Nixon join the crew transporting the bomb to Tinian Island for final assembly. The mission highlights the logistical scale and urgency of preparing the weapon for deployment. It marks a transition from development to operational readiness.

While assembling the device, Cochran comes into contact with radioactive material and dies. His death underscores the fierce human costs hidden within the scientific race. The tragedy personalizes the broader narrative of wartime technological pursuit.

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The bombing demonstrates the weapon's extraordinary destructive power and drives the world toward the war's end. It also triggers a moral and humanitarian reckoning that shapes postwar discourse.

Nixon returns home to break the news of Cochran's death to Cochran's wife. The moment personalizes the war, juxtaposing scientific achievement with personal tragedy. It emphasizes the human cost behind the monumental scientific endeavor.