The second film of female director Dai Wei after Ganglamedo (2008), Once Upon a Time in Tibet presents a lyrical tale of romance set against the tumultuous historical background of the Sino-Japanese War. The forbidden love affair between a banished Tibetan woman and a stranded American pilot sends repercussions across the beautiful snowscape of the Tibetan highland, which is captured on celluloid by renowned Taiwanese cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bin (In the Mood for Love). Hardly recognizable under heavy makeup and speaking an exotic language, popular actors Peter Ho and Song Jia star in the touching romantic period drama alongside American actor/model Joshua Hannum, actress Zhu Ziyan, Taiwan musician Tino Bao, and Tibetan singer San Mu Ke.
In the beginning of World War II, American pilot Robert Smith (Joshua Hannum) is sent to China to assist in the war effort against Japanese invasion. In a mission escorting supplies from India to Yunnan, his cargo plane accidentally crashes somewhere in northern Tibet. Trying to find his way back to the base, the injured pilot barely survives the hostile weather condition, and is eventually saved by Yongcuo (Song Jia), a young Tibetan woman who is deemed "cursed" by her tribe. Despite the language barrier, the two learn to understand each other, and love gradually grows between them. Meanwhile, in order to gain his freedom, young Tibetan serf Jiangcuo (Peter Ho) agrees to lead a search squad to hunt down Robert when the latter is mistaken to be a murderer...
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