Plot

An aspiring singer living with his grandmother in the capital of Bhutan dreams of getting a visa to move to Australia.

A young teacher in modern Bhutan, Ugyen, shirks his duties while planning to go to Australia to become a singer. As a reprimand, his superiors send him to the most remote school in the world, a glacial Himalayan village called Lunana, to complete his service. He finds himself exiled from his Westernized comforts after an arduous 8 day trek just to get there. There he finds no electricity, no textbooks, not even a blackboard. Though poor, the villagers extend a warm welcome to their new teacher, but he faces the daunting task of teaching the village children without any supplies. He wants to quit and go home, but he begins to learn of the hardship in the lives of the beautiful children he teaches, and begins to be transformed through the amazing spiritual strength of the villagers.

Dreaming of emigrating to Australia to pursue a singing career, young urbanite Ugyen can't wait to leave behind his nagging grandmother and flee Bhutan. Still having one long year left to complete the mandatory five-year government contract as a school teacher, Ugyen sees his world turn upside down when he finds himself posted to Lunana, a remote, isolated teaching outpost in the shadow of the Himalayas. And before long, with no electricity, proper accommodation, or a functional classroom environment, Ugyen finds himself with his back to the wall. Will Ugyen throw in the towel and go back to civilization?—Nick Riganas

Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) has completed four of his five mandatory years of training as a teacher for the government. However, he does not enjoy teaching and wishes to move to Australia to become a singer. When he is assigned (by the Government) to teach in the remote mountain village of Lunana (it is officially the most remote school in the entire world), he considers quitting his job, but his grandmother (Tsheri Zom) urges him to complete his teaching duty. He decides to take the assignment and leaves the city. Tandin (Sonam Tashi) is Ugyen's best friend and promises to keep track of his Aus visa application, while he is away. Lunana is a 8 day hike from Thimphu.

Ugyen meets Michen (Ugyen Norbu Lhendup) at the town of Gasa (population 448, altitude of 2800 m), a village guide who leads him up the perilous path to Lunana. Singye (Tshering Dorji) is Michen's assistant. The route has a steep climb and Ugyen soon gets very tired. Michen gently coaxes him to continue going on. Michen carves him a walking stick. They reach Koina, Population of 3, Altitude of 3100 m. Koina is their last stop, after which they have to sleep in tents. Ugyen is miserable when his waterproof shoes leak and he develops sores and blisters in his feet. Michen treats him with homemade recipes. Soon, battery of Ugyen's phone runs out. Ugyen refuses to follow the rituals at the mountain pass where travelers typically put a stone on top of a pile, to worship the mountain. Michen talks about how the snow line has receded through the years and has had an adverse effect on the population of snow lions in the area. Lunana has a population of 56 and is 4800 m above sea level.

The villagers are excited by his arrival (the entire population travels 2 hours out of the village to welcome Ugyen), but Ugyen, appalled by the poor conditions of the village (No electricity, no running water, no toilet), admits regret at coming and requests to be taken back. Michen informs him that the mules need time to rest, and he can take Ugyen back in a few days. The next morning, Ugyen is awoken by Pem Zam (Pem Zam), the class captain, who tells him the children are waiting for him in the classroom (class starts at 8 30 am, but Ugyen couldn't wake up as he had no alarm on account of his phone battery being dead). Ugyen is taken aback by their affection for him, as the children believe teachers have the ability to "touch the future." He decides to stay and teach for the remainder of the year. Pem Zam tells Ugyen about the subjects the previous teacher used to teach and that his books are kept in the trunk in Ugyen's room.

Michen shows Ugyen around the village, including his wife, Pem Zam's drunk father and so on. A grandma from a nearby village brings her granddaughter to Ugyen, since there is no school in her village and she wants her granddaughter to have an education.

Ugyen returns the next day better prepared to teach and improvises the lack of a blackboard by writing directly on the wall with charcoal. Michen later constructs a makeshift blackboard for him. Ugyen slowly makes improvements to the classroom, including sacrificing the paper covering his windows when the children run out of writing material. Ugyen writes to Tandin, who sends supplies for the school, via Ghasa (which are picked up by Michen). The supplies include copies, chart papers and Ugyen's Guitar. Ugyen also receives word that his visa application to Australia has been approved. He quickly becomes a favorite of the children, performing songs on his guitar and teaching them math, English and Dzongkha. They are sad when they learn that Ugyen plans to leave when winter comes and will not return.

Ugyen later meets Saldon (Kelden Lhamo Gurung), almost like a daughter to village leader Asha (Kunzang Wangdi), as she sings a traditional song atop a hillside. She tells him that she sings it daily as an offering to the village, and he asks her to teach it to him; they meet daily, and he slowly learns how to sing it himself. She says it is called Yak Lebi Lhadar, and it was written by a local yak herder who lamented having to slaughter his favorite yak for the good of the village. Saldon later gifts Ugyen with a yak, Norbu, so that he can use the dungs to start fires (earlier Ugyen had to climb the side of the mountain to gather Yak dung and Saldon wanted to save him the effort by having his own Yak). Because of the cold, Ugyen must keep Norbu in the classroom, and he becomes a fixture of the children's lessons. Ugyen dines with Asha and learns that he has 2 daughters Biddha and Saldon (Saldon's mother was like a sister to Asha, and he adopted her when her mother passed away). His wife passed away a few yrs ago.

Asha approaches Ugyen with news that winter is approaching and it is time for him to leave before the pass is covered in snow. He asks Ugyen to come back the following spring, but Ugyen says that he intends to leave Bhutan for good, disappointing him. He breaks the news to Saldon, reassuring her that a better teacher will come in the spring, but Saldon says that only the children can be the judges of that, and they all love Ugyen. She hopes he will come back someday and perform Yak Lebi Lhadar for her.

Ugyen leaves Lunana after a heartfelt goodbye from the villagers. Pem Zam gives him a letter from all the children, and Saldon gifts him with a scarf. Asha sings Yak Lebi Lhadar as he departs, and Michen informs Ugyen that Asha originally wrote the song. He stopped singing when his wife died and vowed only to sing if his Yak ever returned home and brought happiness with him. This signifies the happiness that Ugyen brought to the village. Ugyen later reads the letter from the children, thanking him and calling him their favorite teacher while urging him to return in the spring. On the way down the mountain, Ugyen stops at a shrine and leaves an offering for safe passage, saying that he hopes to return.

Ugyen travels to Australia where he performs in a bar, but nobody pays attention to him. He stops playing his song and sings Yak Lebi Lhadar to a rapt audience.