Windhorse

The story of Windhorse begins eighteen years ago in the mountains of western Tibet, in a tiny village, where three children, brothers Dorjee and Dolkar, and their cousin Pema witness the killing of their grandfather.

The scene shifts to the present day in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The sister, Dolkar, has won the love of a Chinese man who can help her become a pop singer. Her brother Dorjee spends his days in a billiard hall and his nights getting drunk.

Dolkar and Dorjee have lost sight of their cousin Pema who has become a Buddhist nun. Anger at the Chinese persecution of religious people pushes Pema to shout "Free Tibet" in the square in front of the temple. The nun is immediately arrested.

A high-ranking Chinese official promises to help Dolkar in her singing career and she records several songs for her CD, including a hymn to Mao.

In the meantime Dorjee meets Amy, a young American. One night, Dorjee and Dolkar's family is informed that their cousin will be released from prison. Pema has been brutally tortured, so Dorjee seeks help from a friend who is part of the Tibetan underground movement. Dolkar also has a crisis of conscience: on television, he refuses to sing, sides with Dorjee and the American Amy to film Pema who, before dying, describes the torture she suffered. Amy, while taking the video out of Tibet, is stopped at the airport. Dolkar and Dorjee are forced to flee through the Himalayan mountains from which they throw small pieces of paper with Buddhist prayers.