Ladakh, the land of passes, is nestled between Karakoram in Northwest and Himalayas in the South which prevent rain clouds from reaching Ladakh. This mountain desert gets only a couple of inches of rainfall each year. Man and animal species have uniquely adapted to survive in this rarefied land. This least populated region in India is home to Changpa nomads.They live at an average altitude of 4500 meters and seem to have larger lungs with greater diffusing capacity than the lowlanders.

The programme follows Mingyur and his clan over a year in the hostile environment and fierce beauty of Eastern Ladakh. The Changpas move from valley to valley with their yaks, sheep and goats in search of green pastures. Their arrival at Hanley marsh corresponds with the arrival of one of the rare bird species in India, the Black-Necked Cranes. Only a small population of sixty cranes visits India each summer and just 15 breed in the wetlands of Eastern Ladakh. The nomads hold the cranes in great esteem, regarding them as supernatural spirits. Considered a symbol of luck and happiness, the pair breeds in marsh alongside the nomads' animals and successfully raise their chicks.

Tibetan Buddhism is central to Changpa’s lives, which teaches a pious reverence for all living things. In a remarkable sequence, the Buddhist nuns are seen saving fish from the drying marshes.

But when nomad’s survival is threatened they deal with it differently. The Tibetan wolves are their mortal enemy and in winter they lure them to a death pit, but are helpless against the attack of Tibetan Wild Dogs.The dogs are extremely rare and have been recorded for the first time during hunting and with a litter of single pup.
They look like a cross between a fox and wolf with thick fur adapted to the fierce cold weather.

They also have paws for scaling rocks in pursuit of their prey.