The story begins in a small mountain village in Pakistan, where American climber Greg Mortenson took refuge after failing to summit K2. The people there, although extremely poor, shared everything they had with him. When he left, he promised them that he would return and build them a school. The book Three Cups of Tea is a story about a promise fulfilled and about the immense strength, enthusiasm and steadfastness that the main character possesses and that he incredibly successfully transfers to others. Instead of one, Mortenson built fifty-five schools - mostly girls' schools, in a territory that is extremely unfriendly to girls' education. He managed to win the favor of people who often stand on their own banks and cannot find a footbridge that could connect them. Greg Mortenson's story is proof that even a simple person can change the world with the right amount of character, courage and determination.