Na dvore 1924 god. Ekspeditsiya na vershinu samoy vysokoy gory mira priostanovlena iz-za shokiruyuschego ischeznoveniya dvuh uchastnikov. K sleduyuschemu godu troe alpinistov - britanskiy poet, frantsuzskiy provodnik iz Shamoni i amerikanets-idealist - sobirayutsya v novyy pohod k vershine. Dengi na ekspeditsiyu zhertvuet ledi Bromli, syn kotoroy takzhe ischez na gore Everest v 1924 godu. Molodoy Bromli, skoree vsego, mertv, no ego mat otkazyvaetsya v eto verit i snaryazhaet otvazhnyh muzhchin v nadezhde, chto oni vernut goryacho lyubimogo syna domoy. Gluboko v Tibete troe alpinistov, k kotorym prisoedinyaetsya dvoyurodnaya sestra propavshego malchika, obnaruzhivayut, chto kto-to presleduet ih vsyu noch. . . ili chto-to. Vskore etot koshmar stanovitsya voprosom zhizni i smerti - chto skryvaetsya v snezhnom tumane? I chto stoit za tainstvennymi ischeznoveniyami? Probivayas k "vershine mira", smelchaki raskryvayut taynu, gorazdo bolee otvratitelnuyu, chem lyuboe, samoe ottalkivayuschee mificheskoe sozdanie.
