The harder you climb, the higher you live.

Despite the tragedy and notoriety that marked Mori's introduction to climbing, he is still obsessed with the allure of the mountains and determined to keep up with his grueling training plan--even if his minuscule budget means he needs to get creative. All the creativity in the world doesn't end up being enough to fund an actual expedition, though, so when a rich adventurer offers him a spot on his ambitious K2 climbing team, Mori reluctantly accepts. Suddenly he's got more new gear than he knows what to do with and an invitation to an amazing training climb in the Japanese Alps. But Mori's joy at being in the mountains again is tempered by his knowledge that humans are more treacherous than any peak.