Sadako Sasaki, a young girl of twelve, develops leukemia caused by exposure to the atom bomb dropped on her city of Hiroshima, Japan at the end of WWII. While in the hospital, Sadako learns to fold origami cranes and believes that folding the cranes might lead to the granting of a wish. A loving and compassionate child, Sadako's life inspires her classmates to create a memorial in her honor, to remember all the children impacted by the war.

Masahiro Sasaki, Sadako's older brother, and Sue DiCicco, founder of The Peace Crane Project, tell Sadako's true story in English for the first time.