A problematic 11 year-old Mongolian kid Galbatrakh (Galaa), who has no father, tries to survive in Mongolian yurt district by selling goods in the black market and skipping his school. However, one day his mother decides that Galaa should try becoming a lama, a Buddhist monk. This becomes boy’s dream and a plan of survival. Galaa visits Pethub, one of the most disciplined Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia, and tries to be accepted. In order to achieve this aim, he needs to study hard, get permission from different high lamas and pass through complicated bureaucracy of the monastery. Will he succeed?

“I never intended to make a film about Mongolia as a country, but the time I’ve spent in Galaa’s family taught me a lot about the country and its people. I was far more interested in the boy’s story, which I found universally human, therefore I followed Galaa as close as I could.
I study dramaturgy myself and I know how hard it is to tell a simple and clear story. This became the aim and the challenge. Also, I wanted to reveal the boy’s contrasting character, which influenced the style of the film.
I was always interested in how human dreams and aspirations relate with his social environment and was wondering if we all can pursue our dreams equally. However, I still can’t answer to myself whether Galaa decided to become a monk due to pragmatic reasons or it was also a naïve childish dream”, says director Eglė Vertelytė.