Nena Holquin is Messner's girlfriend and helpmate during his assault on Everest. She is the only one who goes with him to the upper base camp and welcomes him when he returns, depleted and almost incoherent after his successful climb. When Nena first enters the book, she is just getting over an unrequited crush on the mountaineer Peter Hillary, who has gone back to New Zealand after an unsuccessful attempt to climb Ama Dablam during which he and his partner were rescued by Messner and his climbing partners.