故事发生在1930年，阿齐（皮尔斯·布鲁斯南 Pierce Brosnan 饰）是一名印第安青年，他发现有偷猎者潜入了加拿大的原始森林之中，在其中大肆破坏，于是决定出手阻挠。在此过程中，阿齐邂逅了名为葛妮德的女子，葛妮德被阿齐的勇敢和正义深深的吸引，很快，两人就走到了一起，并且携手步入了婚姻的殿堂。
为了向城市人普及印第安文化，阿齐走进了大都会，通过演讲，阿齐很快就成为了红极一时的印第安文化代表者，名誉和利益扑面而来，但随着阿齐的走红，他那不为人知的过去也渐渐的浮出水面。原来，阿齐并非真正的印第安人。

友善谨慎的新西兰领队罗布·霍尔（杰森·克拉科 Jason Clarke 饰），他的队伍名为“冒险顾问”；而斯科特·费雪（杰克·吉伦哈尔 Jake Gyllenhaal 饰）则风趣搞怪，他带领来自西雅图的“疯狂山脉”登山队。他们相互竞争，又彼此帮助。两支队伍中的勇士们来自各行各业，他们中有邮差、记者、医生，还有一名来自日本的职业女性。这些登山者看似平凡， 但每个人背后都有一个属于自己的梦想，激励着他们前往海拔 8000 米以上、氧气稀薄的珠峰。在攀登过程中，他们的身体机能急速下降，在应对体力衰竭、缺氧、雪盲的同时，他们又极为不幸地遭遇了一场剧烈的暴风雪，因此命悬一线。影片改编自 1996 年的一次真实探险经历。

The story follows Lewis as he meets an American fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer and eventually dies.

The story follows Lewis as he meets an American fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer and eventually dies.

The story follows Lewis as he meets an American fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer and eventually dies.

The story follows Lewis as he meets an American fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer and eventually dies.

The story follows Lewis as he meets an American fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer and eventually dies.

The story follows Lewis as he meets an American fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer and eventually dies.