Somewhere on the planet, lightning strikes six to eight million times a day, and this film breaks down the physics behind that number. It tracks how thunderclouds build and separate electrical charge until a channel of ionized air discharges as a spark reaching around 28,000 degrees Fahrenheit and moving at roughly half the speed of light. Meteorologists and footage of storm systems explain the mechanics of a strike from cloud to ground, including the often-overlooked danger of ground current, which can injure people and animals well outside the point of contact. The film also covers lightning that occurs without a conventional thunderstorm: volcanic lightning generated by ash plumes and dry lightning that ignites wildfires with no accompanying rain. Slow-motion and high-speed camera footage of real strikes anchors the explanations, giving a clear look at how a bolt actually forms and branches. It runs just under an hour and stays focused on the underlying physics rather than storm chasing or disaster footage for its own sake.