At the height of World War II, an emotionally remote Austrian mountain climber (Brad Pitt) journeys to the holy city of Lhasa, Tibet in search of peaks to tame and finds instead an unexpected friend in the form of the young Dalai Lama. Under the influence of the holy leader, the mountaineer--and, not coincidentally, Nazi Party member--begins a personal journey that leads to a greater self-awareness and inner wisdom. Adapted from the eponymous memoir by Heinrich Harrer.