The opera takes place on May 10 and 11, 1996. Due to the bad weather, several expeditions are trying to reach the summit of Everest at the same time. Due to a bottleneck at the Hillary Step the ascent of the group of Rob Hall is delayed. He leads his customer Doug Hansen, who had already failed on the mountain last year, to the summit despite the exceeded time mark. Another member of his group, the pathologist Beck Weathers, is already severely weakened. Because his eyes cause him problems, he has given up and waits for the return of the two.