Tokumaru Tokuda is a medical student who is taking a leave of absence from school and spending every day lazily. To search for his big brother who went missing after sending an e-mail saying "Help me", Tokumaru ends up going to "Western Tibet". Using the photo that his brother sent as a hint, Tokumaru and two guides, Sonam and Namgyal head toward a certain valley. However, it's a valley that not even the locals go near since it is said that the valley brings disaster on anybody that comes near. The three men embark on their long journey on foot in Western Tibet, the land high above the world.

Note: Ruten no Terma was simultaneously published in Japanese and Chinese on DeNA's Manga Box app and ran for 39 chapters. These were re-compiled in the published volumes to have 19 chapters in total. Only the first 21 chapters have been translated into English by DeNA Manga Box under the title The Wheel of Life.