In 2017, Paolo Cognetti traveled to Nepal, not to conquer the mountains but to journey through its high valleys. A climber raised in the Alps, Cognetti explores here the roots of life in the Himalayas, truly getting to know the communities and the nature that forged this resilient, almost mythical region. Accompanying him are Remigio, a childhood friend who had never left the mountains of Italy, and Nicola, a painter he had recently met. Joined by a stalwart team of local sherpas, the trio starts out in the remote Dolpo region of Nepal, and as Cognetti recounts here, they set out on a journey of self-discovery shaped by illness, human connection, and empathy.