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Late in 1939 World War II breaks out and Harrer and his team mates are placed in a British P.O.W camp in northern India. Harrer tries (and fails) to escape many times before the whole team finally makes the escape together after spending about three years as prisoners of war. During this time he receives a letter from his wife, asking for a divorce. Their son was born shortly after he left on the expedition and his wife is planning to marry the man he left her in the care of. She tells him that when he is old enough, she will tell their son that his father died in the Himalayas.
After the escape, Harrer promptly leaves the rest of the group and goes his own way. Because he no longer has a wife and home to go back to he decides to stay on the mountains. He meets up with Peter again and after a couple of fairly funny scenes the two decide to travel together. We see a love-hate relationship form between these two men. Harrer's selfishness is shown in a particularly poignant scene at a marketplace where, because they were in need of food, he lets Peter sell his watch which was given to him by his father. Peter later finds out that Harrer has a handful of watches in his backpack, all meaningless to him, yet he felt no remorse in letting Peter sell his. Later in the movie, Harrer redeems himself by finding and buying back the watch for Peter but that doesn't happen until his soul has found fulfillment through his time with the Dalai Lama.
After travelling for a couple of years the pair manage to disguise themselves and enter Tibet's Holy Forbidden City of Lhasa which is the the home of the Dalai Lama.
They are taken under the wing of a Court Official who gains permission to let the foreigners stay. Slowly, we watch as Heinrich and Peter begin to evolve. There are some lovely scenes where they they interact with the Monks. They both vie for the attentions of a beautiful seamstress but it is Peter's quiet unassuming manner that wins her heart and hand in marriage.
The young Dalai Lama (brilliantly portrayed by Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuck) becomes quite taken with Heinrich's outgoing personality. He watches him through a telescope from the roof of the palace where he lives. Finally, after a few years, he summons Heinrich to his presence. An amusing first meeting takes place as Heinrich finds that the Dalai Lama is much more than a holy figurehead...he is a curious, excited young boy who wants to be tutored in the ways of the western civilization. Harrer agrees to tutor the Dalai Lama but as the film progresses we see that it is in fact him that is learning more from the young boy than he could possibly teach him.
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Heinrich Disguises Himself
So he can
enter Tibet's Holy Forbidden City of Lhasao
Heinrich Harrer
In the Holy City
Heinrich befriends the people and helps them in their fight against China
Brad Pitt as Heinrich Harrer
and Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuck as the young Dalai Lama
We watch an
extraordinary friendship occur between these two people