Filmed over the course of twelve months, this film follows seven former members of the Amish community as they reflect on their decisions to leave one of the most closed and tightly-knit communities in the United States. Estranged from family, the ex-Amish find themselves struggling to understand and make their way in modern America. Interwoven through the stories are the voices of Amish men and women who remain staunchly loyal to their traditions and faith.

Throughout history human beings have dreamed of heaven, built their lives around it, and even killed for their particular religion's version of the hereafter. This program explores the concept of heaven according to some inspiring followers of Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. Viewers meet a Catholic priest working with gangs, an unusual Thai Buddhist monk, a Hindu priest who is also a hydraulics engineer, Sufi dervishes, and the remarkable Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan. The video includes expert commentary about the historical evolution of the notion of heaven. With Diana Eck (professor of comparative religion, Harvard University), Alan Segal (professor of religion, Columbia University), and Carol Zaleski (professor of world religions, Smith College).

During the 16th century, a new breed of thinker arose, equal parts philosopher and scientist, that threw off the received wisdom of the past and started afresh. In this program, Paul Guyer, of the University of Pennsylvania; Rutgers University's Colin McGinn; and Princeton University's Kwame Anthony Appiah and Daniel Garber address the major philosophical currents of that era-and the explosive controversies surrounding them. Bacon's Novum Organum, Descartes's "Discourse on the Method," Hobbes' Leviathan, Spinoza's Ethics, and other germane works are cited.

The Hajj, the largest pilgrimage in the world and the fifth pillar of Islam, is a religious duty for every able-bodied Muslim. Follow five Chinese Muslims as they undertake this journey of a lifetime. A major event organized by the Islamic Association of China, this film tells stories of the event's organizers, pilgrims and service personnel. Using montage editing techniques, the film presents this sacred journey by combining parallel sequences into a unified thread.