Nepal, 12 December 2005, the Western slope of the fifth highest peak on the planet. Altitude: 5,300 meters. Jean-Christophe Lafaille readies himself to accomplish a new feat. At the threshold of the Himalayan winter, he begins acclimatizing himself to high altitude. In a few weeks, he will attempt what no other climber has achieved until now: the ascent of Makalu – 8,463 meters – alone and without oxygen, during the winter season... The story blends impressions and viewpoints of the interval the climber spent from his arrival at the base camp to the final ascent attempt and the tragic end. The film is also the bittersweet chronicle of an extraordinary challenge experienced by two people, far away from each other but united by a single purpose, Jean Christophe Lafaille himself and his wife Katia.