No one has ever succeeded in climbing majestic Guglia del Diavolo – its steep summit section is considered impregnable. The father (Hannes Schneider) tried time and again – and died trying. The son (Luis Trenker), the best climber in Tyrol, is determined to fulfill his father’s dream – and regularly risks his life in the process. Because his mother (Frida Richard) lives in constant fear of losing her only son after her husband, he promises her not to make any more attempts to climb the Devil’s Peak. But the Guglia del Diavolo doesn’t give a young woman a moment’s peace either: Hella (Erna Morena), the mountaineer’s childhood friend and student, spends hours gazing at the mountain’s rocky masses, trying to discern a safe route to the summit. When she thinks she has found what she is looking for, she tries to persuade her teacher to climb the mountain with her. But he keeps the promise he made to his mother. Disappointed, Hella sets off on her own. Then a storm comes up and young Hella runs into difficulties. In mortal fear for his daughter, Hella’s father appeals to the climber for help. Now he has no choice: he must break his promise to save Hella’s life...
Arnold Fanck (1889-1974) is regarded as the inventor of the mountain film, a genre that rapidly gained international popularity in the 1920s with impressive documentary footage of the High Alps, which Fanck used as a backdrop and essentially elevated to the leading role in his movies. The main acting role was played by Luis Trenker, who made his acting debut in DER BERG DES SCHICKSALS (MOUNTAIN OF DESTINY).