A group of Tibetan villagers leave their families and homes to make a "bowing pilgrimage" — laying their bodies flat on the ground after every few steps — along the 2,000-kilometre road to Lhasa. During their months on the road, a baby is born, they meet fellow travellers, and their resolve is put to the test by harsh snowstorms and physical fatigue. But no hardship can deter them from their ultimate goal — not even the threat of death, a very real danger in this high altitude where a common cold can take one's life.