In a vivid story, blooming with beauty and scientific mystery, NOVA goes hunting for the world's earliest flower. Although flowers have long been at the center of human life, gracing our gardens and expressing our emotions--not to mention providing us with food, crops, and medicines--the question of how flowers evolved has long baffled scientists. Charles Darwin called it "an abominable mystery." But now a tantalizing fossil that bloomed during the reign of the dinosaurs has surfaced in China. In First Flower, NOVA probes the controversy ignited by this unique fossil, and pursues the trail through the stunning lost world of China's remote Hengduan Mountains. In this spectacular landscape--dubbed the "Mother of All Gardens"--lie the origins of dozens of plants we take for granted today, including forsythia, clematis, rhododendrons, dogwoods, primroses, and the regal lily. How did they reach our gardens? The detective story behind the evolution of our favorite flowers continues to unfold. Join NOVA on the trail of botany's most beguiling mystery.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.