Earth's Sacred Wonders

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an orthodox Christian must deliver a miraculous holy flame into the hands of his bishop. At Boudhanath stupa in Nepal, a Buddhist painter battles the elements in honor of Buddha’s birthday. And at Lalish in Iraq, a young Yazidi woman goes in search of salvation, after being traumatized by recent conflict.

In Mali, a young Muslim helps to re-plaster the Great Mosque of Djenné, in the hope of a place in paradise. At the sacred Nachi waterfall in Japan, a Shinto devotee undertakes a grueling challenge to ensure the wellbeing of his country for another year. And at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, an Episcopal priest performs an astonishing ceremony to bring people closer to God.

At Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a man who believes the temples are home to his ancestral spirits, risks his life to save them from the jungle. At Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, a young Muslim paramedic battles his own hunger and exhaustion to help other fasting worshippers during Ramadan. And at the Shaolin Temple in China, a Buddhist warrior monk, faces a test that will change the course of his life forever.