Plot

A photojournalist's obsessive quest for the truth about the first expedition to Mt. Everest leads him to search for an esteemed climber who went missing.

Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8th, 1924? Only the little Kodak camera they took with them might reveal the truth. In Kathmandu 70 years later, a young Japanese reporter named Fukamachi recognizes the camera in the hands of the mysterious Habu Jôji, an outcast climber believed missing for years. Fukamachi enters a world of obsessive mountaineers hungry for impossible conquests on a journey that leads him, step by step, towards the summit of the gods.

In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to climb Mount Everest from the north face and were never seen again. Seventy years later (1994), Makoto Fukamachi, a young Japanese reporter, encounters a mysterious mountain climber named Habu Joji (Eric Herson-Macarel) (identifiable by 2 missing fingers), in whose hands Fukamachi (Damien Boisseau) thinks he sees Mallory's camera, which might reveal if Mallory and his companion really were the first to climb Everest. This is because the first documented scaling of the Everest was recorded in May 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The film of the Mallory camera could finally reveal the truth behind the first scaling of the Everest.

Fukamachi thinks that Habu found Mallory's body in the snow on Everest and brought back the camera. Habu was a Prodigy in the 1960's and was setting speed records and was destined to have a great career in mountaineering. Then one day, he disappeared, just like that. In the 60's Habu was poor and was looking for sponsors to go to the Everest. He had a partner Inoue (Jérôme Keen), and Habu decides to scale the Demon wall in Winter to gain publicity. They make it. Habu's climbing club (led by Ito (Luc Bernard)) thinks he got lucky, but Habu tells them that he waited for the right moment and went for it at the right time, which was the key. Habu is approached by Hase (Marc Arnaud) who learns the technicality of Habu's climb (he waited for the sun to melt the snow and clear a path and then waited another night, for the melted snow to freeze, before attempting the climb). Hase breaks Habu's record the very next day.

In present day, Fukamachi meets Inoue who says he stopped climbing with Habu as he never cared for his partners at all. Back in 60's Habu is prepping for his next climb when a boy named Buntaro (from his club) asks Habu to take him. Ryoko (Elisabeth Ventura) is Buntaro's sister. Habu refuses as Buntaro is too young and this climb is too dangerous. Eventually Habu relents, but on the climb, there is an accident, and Buntaro is hung mid climb. He can't reach the rock face, and if Habu pulls the rope, it frays against the rock. Buntaro knows there is no hope for a rescue and cuts his own rope and dies.

In Present day, Fukamachi meets Ryoko, who says that Habu sent her money from time to time. She understood that there was no one to blame for Buntaro's death. Again, back in the 60's, Habu went to Europe to scale the 3 alps mountains Eiger, the Matterhorn, and the Grandes Jorasses, in winter, alone. Hase was there too. Habu was ahead of Hase, and was on his 3rd summit, when he slipped and fell off the mountain face. Habu woke up suspended in midair, with an arm broken. using his skill, Habu climbs back up to a ridge, where he spends 3 nights. He gets frostbite in 2 fingers, before being rescued by a helicopter. It was Hase, who had spotted Habu and reported his position to the authorities. Hase becomes the face of mountaineering, but eventually dies tries to scale the Everest alone. Habu takes a job back home.

Fukamachi finds that Habu applied to scale the Everest 3 yrs ago, but his application was denied. Fukamachi meets Ryoko who says that the last letter from Habu came 3 yrs ago from Namche Bazaar, the last village before Everest. Fukamachi returns to Nepal and tracks down Habu near a Buddhist monastery. Fukamachi knows that Habu will attempt the southwest face, alone, in winter, without oxygen to complete what Hase begun. Fukamachi wants to cover the event and decides to wait at base camp, when Habu refuses to take him along. At base camp, Fukamachi learns that Habu has been preparing for the climb for 8 yrs now. Habu agrees to take Fukamachi along. But in solo, you are not allowed any communications or interventions. So Fukamachi and Habu can't help each other if anything goes wrong. Habu refuses to answer any questions about the camera.

The climb begins and for most part Fukamachi is able to keep pace with Habu and follows him at a safe distance. He survives an avalanche and a crevasse but continues to make progress. Night 1, they set up camp separately. The climb is supposed to take 3 nights. On the 2nd day, a storm front approaches, but Habu refuses to turn back and so Fukamachi also keeps going. Fukamachi gets stuck mid climb and takes the full brunt of the storm. After a little while, Habu comes back and picks Fukamachi, breaking the rules of the solo. Habu climbs the mountain face with Fukamachi on his back. Habu sets up a BioVac at a ridge, where Fukamachi wakes up. Habu tells Fukamachi that he has attempted the southwest face many times and found the camera (and Mallory's body, still preserved) at the previous attempt, after he got lost. Habu never developed the camera reel and says that it doesn't matter whether Mallory made it or not.

The next morning, Habu sends Fukamachi back, while he continues to climb. Habu reaches the top of Everest. Fukamachi returns to base camp and waits for many days, but Habu never returns. at base camp, the expedition operator gives Fukamachi the Mallory camera and says that Habu ask him to give it to Fukamachi. Habu is shown dead on the way down from the summit. Fukamachi develops the camera back home, but never reveals the photos. He goes back to climb the Everest, and eventually makes it to the top.