Jonathan his companions, climbers Norman Joyce and Holmes Canning, and three porters, slowly climb their way to the highest camp on the Alps. Jonathan is the youngest and smallest of the climbers and was hence chosen to accompany the other two skilled climbers.   The group had started from Camp VI at eight in the morning, and worried about the monsoon brewing in their way. The ascent steepens after a couple of hours of climbing and the porters begin to stumble with fatigue.  At four in the afternoon the group stops for a break. They share a meal and the get in their sleeping bags to rest, but the man has trouble falling asleep. Norman Joyce speaks out in the dark, telling Jonathan not to take the climb too seriously. He compares the climb to storming an enemy beach, like something to be conquered. The men wake up at five the next morning and put on their gear. Jonathan decides to stay behind and spends a couple of hours in the tent and makes soup. At around two in the afternoon however, Jonathan suddenly feels very fearful unlike ever before. He leaves the tent and looks up at the summit. To his surprise, he sees the rest of the men making their way up the summit and not turning around. They disappear into the mist from Jonathan's view.
Meanwhile, Canning tells Joyce that they should turn back, but Joyce feels like they are too close to the top to give up. As Joyce brushes him off and continues the climb, Canning reluctantly follows.  Down below, Jonathan leaves food for the men when they get back in Camp VII, and starts to climb down feeling doubtful. Back on ground level, Jonathan never discovers whether or not the other two men made it successfully to the top but keeps them in his hopes.