A family of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi Desert, South Mongolia, assist in the births of their camel herd. One of the camels has an excruciatingly difficult delivery but, with help from the family, out comes a rare white calf. Despite the efforts of the shepherds, the mother rejects the newborn, coldly refusing it the milk it needs to survive. In accordance with an ancient ritual, a musician is summoned from a distant village--the calf's last hope.