Plot Synopsis

Airing over four consecutive nights to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack, 9/11: ONE DAY IN AMERICA is a six-episode documentary series that chronicles the events of that day -- at times minute by minute -- through first-person narratives of the first responders and survivors who were there. From the moment when the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and New York Police Department (NYPD) were first called onto the scene of the World Trade Center that September morning to the devastating moments of collision and the chaos that ensued, National Geographic follows the timeline of the day through remarkable archival footage and photographs captured by journalists and bystanders.

Each episode of the series sheds light on the heroism prompted by the events of 9/11, as individuals who risked their lives to save those around them recount their experiences entirely in first person. From first responders to employees in the World Trade Center and good Samaritans watching the events unfold, they share their experiences - some for the first time. Over the course of three years, filmmakers interviewed 54 people for a total of 235 hours to tell the comprehensive, chronological story of Sept. 11 -- all in the first person.

"Our hope with this series was to bring to the forefront the true human experience of 9/11 in a way that would honor both the victims and the survivors of the attacks that day -- a series that forgoes the geopolitical implications and instead focuses on the experience of the people that were there," said executive producers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin.

Episodes include:

"First Response" (Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 9pm): Following the first firefighters on the scene and their race against time to rescue trapped civilians.

"The South Tower" (Monday, August 30, 2021 at 9pm): Stories of escape from the South Tower and the paramedics on the ground facing an onslaught of badly injured people.

"Collapse" (Monday, August 30, 2021 at 9:53pm): A day of terror and the struggle to survive continues as the Pentagon is hit, Flight 93 is hijacked and the South Tower collapses.

"The Cloud" (Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 9pm): Survivors search for loved ones after becoming separated when they are enveloped by a toxic dust cloud.

"I'm Coming For You, Brother" (Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 9:53pm): It is a race against time to find and rescue a group of firefighters who were inside the North Tower when it collapsed.

"It's All Gone, Kid" (Wednesday, September 1, 2021 at 9pm): At Ground Zero, two ex-marines and an ex-paramedic join forces to search for survivors and pull off one of the most miraculous rescues of the day.