Due to a road accident, the professor Bennett is trapped in his car and, while his wife goes in search of help, the young student Leo - who translated Milarepa's text at his request - tells him the story of the great Tibetan poet, magician and hermit, performing an imaginary journey to the Himalayas and an intimate journey within himself. The story of Milarepa is structured in three parts: that of black magic (the protagonist, encouraged by his mother, learns the art of killing), that of white magic (a journey towards perfection thanks to the harsh teachings of Milarepa's master, Marpa) and that of transfiguration (the achievement of absolute detachment from the material reality).