Ngada Sherpa and his wife Jomdoe from Nepal, break a taboo and climb Kumbhakarna – one of the most holy of mountains, to earn money for their son’s school and save him from a dangerous and degrading work as a porter. The East face of the mountain (7710 m) is one of the most difficult challenges in alpinism today. A group of leading alpinists from the Western world take part in the expedition. The Holy Mountain confronts both the climbers and Sherpas with equal harshness.