Set in frozen steppes of Mongolia, Bagi, a young nomad shepherd confronts his destiny to become a shaman. After a plague strikes their heard, Bagi and his family are relocated to a mining town. There, he saves the life of Zolzaya, a beautiful performer/coal thief. When Bagi discovers that the plague was a government lie fabricated to eradicate nomadic life, he and Zolzaya incite a revolution.