The Wall of Shadows: A Sherpa’s moral dilemma

When a Sherpa family is asked by a group of Westerners to lead a trek up the imposing Kumbhakarna mountain in Nepal, they are confronted with a dilemma.

The summit is more challenging and dangerous than Mount Everest, but it is also a sacred mountain and, according to their faith, should not be climbed.

Ngada is tempted by the money for his son’s education. But his wife, Jomdoe, who supports their son’s ambition to become a doctor, is adamant they should not go.

If they do not climb, they may go empty-handed but at least they will escape with their lives.