In a Tibetan village on the Qinghai plateau, a young boy, Dorje, and his sister, Kelsang, live with their grandmother. Having lost their mother at an early age, the siblings long for their father's company, but he is always busy and rarely comes home. One day, the siblings come across an injured baby black-necked crane, who they kindly bring home to take care of. With winter approaching, the crane could not complete its migration without its parent bird, so they decide to take it to its wintering grounds in Yunnan by motorcycle. When their father hears that the children have left home without permission, he immediately goes south to look for them. This treacherous journey is destined to be a journey of growth for the family of three, prompting them to re-examine the meaning of kinship.