The BBC programme is based on the article "The Nile and its People" written by Nadia El-Awady for IslamOnline.net and highlights Ms. El-Awady’s investigation of the growing pollution of the Nile River delta. BBC World cameras follow Ms. El-Awady through the villages of Egypt's Al-Monofiya governorate as she speaks with villagers, government officials and local doctors. She also visits an industrial city in the region and follows industrial waste from its source to discover where it is being dumped, causing harmful effects on the health and environment in the surrounding areas.