Twelve-year-old Nergui is a young Mongolian herder who attends a monastery boarding school during the year and returns home each summer to help his family. Nergui looks forward to the annual Naadam festival, where he hopes to compete in wrestling and archery and make his father proud. But one summer, Nergui's father falls dangerously ill before Naadam. To find a doctor who can save him, Nergui must make a perilous journey alone across the harsh Mongolian steppe.
With only his horse and his wits, Nergui confronts the punishing terrain, ravenous wolves, and hostile strangers. As he risks his life for his family, the once insecure boy discovers an inner courage that transforms him. Although Nergui misses Naadam, his harrowing quest teaches him what really matters - the love of family. In protecting them, Nergui grows from a boy who seeks trophies into a young man defined by his devotion and sense of responsibility. He returns to school with a new maturity, eager to carry on his people's traditions.