It concerns a variety of topics, from ascending the Eiger Nordwand in the Swiss Alps, Denali in Alaska or K2 in the Karakoram, to the well-known rock climbers Jon Krakauer has met on his trips, such as John Gill, Adrian Popovich or the Burgess brothers, Adrian and Alan. He also describes other extreme sports, such as canyoneering and climbing frozen waterfalls.