In the stark, breathtaking expanse of the Tibetan plateau, a tense and unexpected confrontation unfolds in Pema Tseden's gripping action-thriller. When a rare and revered snow leopard enters a remote village and kills several prized rams, the animal's fate ignites a volatile conflict. The local herders, led by the resolute Jinpa, are determined to protect their livelihood and see the predator eliminated. However, their plans are complicated by the arrival of outsiders, including a determined television crew and officials who view the elusive creature as a protected symbol.

Caught in the middle are men like the conflicted Tseten Tashi and others portrayed by Wang Zhuocuo and Lopsang, whose personal beliefs and cultural traditions clash with modern pressures and survival instincts. As the hunt for the snow leopard intensifies, the lines between man and nature, tradition and law, begin to blur. The film masterfully builds a atmosphere of simmering tension and moral ambiguity, where the vast, silent landscape becomes a character itself, bearing witness to a struggle that questions the very nature of coexistence. This visceral journey explores the high-stakes drama that erupts when ancient ways collide with contemporary values, all under the watchful eye of the mountains.