Survival on a finite planet is based on food security: We are dependent on plants as the basis of all our food. The informed conservation of plant genetic resources is therefore a most vital task which requires scientific research, international co-operation and political will. These films tell a story that will determine whether our grandchildren inherit wealth or wilderness. Among the participants is Prof. Cary Fowler who is spearheading the doomsday seed store in the Norwegian arctic.

Programme 1. Defining The Problem:
Some of the world's rarest plants may soon become extinct; their genetic resources lost forever. This film examines the diversity of plants and their uses by humanity, the basis of plant genetics as first discovered by Gregor Mendel, and explains the need to conserve the world's plant genetic diversity.

Programme 2. Gene-Banks And Ex-Situ Conservation:
The work of N.I. Vavilov, the first world germplasm collector who first documented areas of origin and plant diversity. The development of gene-banks as one way to preserve genetic diversity; their advantages and limitations.

Programme 3: In-Situ Conservation:
Why gene-banks are not enough. The conservation of germplasm outside gene-banks, the so-called in-situ conservation of traditional crop varieties, and wild plants in special areas.

Programme 4: Benefit-Sharing And Future Developments:
What is the future of plant genetic resources for restoration and conservation? Conflicts arise due to questions of ownership and rights to plant genetic resources when interdependence is so important.