A member of the high-mountain police corps (PGHM) for over a decade, François Nicard sweeps us away with him on fifteen rescue operations. Fear, sadness, anger, happiness—the emotional intensity is matched only by the daringness of these real-life adventures retold here with moving honesty. Because tragedy hangs in the balance, because humanity is always called for, because suspense is never far at hand, there is an epic, larger-than-life dimension to high-altitude rescue work.