Recognized as the reincarnation of an important Tibetan lama at the age of 4, Gendun Choephel eventually rejected his faith after questioning his country's isolationist policies and conservative beliefs. Filmmaker Luc Schaedler uses rare archival footage and interviews with prominent scholars to examine the impact of this controversial figure, who died a broken man in 1951 after spending three years in prison on charges of insurrection.