Thomas Rickenmann’s documentary travels to the Alps to follow three families as they go through their summer rituals and traditions, the grueling climb up to the alps with their livestock and equipment to work the land, to make cheese and feed their cattle. Each family has its own traditions, but perhaps they all adhere to one law: that of the good or bad weather that reigns over the trip up the mountain. There is no fixed calendar, it is nature that tells them when it’s time to move. Patience is demanded of the mountain farmers as they wait for snow to melt. Their preparations are of long duration, and sometimes the way up is sown with pitfalls.

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Against the stunning backdrop of the Alps, the farmers – young and not-so-young –live in rhythm with nature to work the pastures each summer. The families tell the story of their annual adventure, of the hardships they have faced, from one generation to the next, as they accompany their animals up narrow and sometimes dangerous paths. Once arrived, they experience a kind of euphoria at being up thousands of kilometers above sea level for the most beautiful season of the year. Far from modern agriculture, there are few machines and almost everything is done by hand.

Sometimes animals die on the way up due to exhaustion, hunger or falls, but no matter what the reason, the loss of an animal is always painful. The documentary adopts the rhythm of the families, as Rickenmann films time passing, the arrival of spring as nature reawakens and life resumes. This movie is an ode to nature, to traditions, and to the courage of these families.