When Simon Messner, the only son of mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner, sets out in the summer of 2025 to attempt the spectacular first ascent of the 6,754-meter Chumik Kangri in Pakistan’s Karakoram, he finds himself at a turning point in his life.

Having become a mountaineer against his father’s wishes and overcome his fear of heights, Simon has completed more than forty first ascents in recent years. But when he becomes the father of a daughter himself, the meaning of adventure begins to shift for the first time.

Marked by the emotional distance to his father, Simon begins to question not only the climb ahead, but also the drive that has propelled him for years. Why pursue something that could cost him everything? And what does it mean to be both a mountaineer and a father?

Set against the spectacular backdrop of one of the last untouched mountain regions in the world, the film tells the story of a search for one’s place in life, between the longing for freedom and the responsibility for a family.

Alongside Simon Messner, close family members speak, including his mother Sabine, his sister Magdalena, and his wife Anna. They reflect on the experience of waiting at home and shifting gender roles.

As Simon makes his way toward the summit, external and internal landscapes begin to merge.

High above, in the vastness of the glacier, he faces a defining question: how much risk is he willing to take, and what kind of life does he want to lead?