Anderson Cooper begins by stating that he had always perceived his mother as being from a world that no longer exists. He explains that his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt and that he always tried to hide his Vanderbilt heritage; he wanted to be known for his own achievements and did not want the demands and burden of the Vanderbilt name. However, his mother’s life was not like others might expect. Vanderbilt, having been famous from birth, faced loss, abuse, and hardships. Despite this, she has allowed herself to remain vulnerable and sensitive, and she has done many things in her life, including acting and design. Cooper then states that she is now 92 but has been healthy all her life, up until she developed a respiratory infection in 2015 and was hospitalized. Cooper did not know about her hospitalization because he was covering a story abroad, and he did not learn about it until his assignment was over and she had come home.

Afterward, Vanderbilt had asthma and a recurring respiratory infection, which made her think about her mortality for the first time. With her 91st birthday approaching, Cooper realized he wanted to learn more about his mother and her life because they were the only ones still alive in their immediate family and Vanderbilt never talked about her past.