Painter, anarchist and dropout: That was Giovanni Segantini. He created monumental works, mostly under the open sky. Often his themes show simple people looking down with a tired look on their faces. They are covered in a magical image of high mountain areas. Throughout his life, he always took a step further up, reaching for more light. At the age of 41 he died lonely in a little mountain hut in Engadin. His Easel was placed outside of the hut. The movie is a silent and meditative insight into a life outside of the mainstream mentality. It is a tribute to the painter. No comments distort his story. The painter himself is talking to us through his autobiographic texts, spoken by Bruno Ganz.