Note: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence.

The story of Harvey Weinstein is a story of patterns. Scores of women — more than 80 — have given eerily similar accounts of abuse and harassment by the powerful movie mogul.

This week, two years after those allegations were first reported in The New York Times, Mr. Weinstein’s trial opens in New York. In the first part of a two-part series, we investigate why the case went from 80 potential plaintiffs to two.

Guest: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The Times and co-author of “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• Mr. Weinstein’s reputation preceded him as he stepped into a Manhattan courthouse this week to face charges of rape and criminal sexual activity, making it difficult to find jurors who did not already have strong opinions about the case.
• The reporters who broke the first investigation into Mr. Weinstein explain why the trial rests on a narrow legal case with an already fraught back story and why the result is highly unpredictable.
• On the first day of Mr. Weinstein’s trial, two other criminal allegations against him were released in Los Angeles.