1932: Middle-aged Scots doctor Douglas Meredith and his young companion, Kate, arrive in an isolated Swiss village for a climbing holiday. Their age difference at once attracts much attention. Their young guide, Johann, who is attracted to Kate, takes the couple on an expedition. trying to recover an axe from a crevasse, Johann finds a buried body. Increasingly disturbed by events, Kate tells Johann that she is not Meredith's wife. She also tells Meredith that she plans to stay on when their secret holiday is over. The next day the three set out on a dangerous expedition.