In Left for Dead: My Journey Home From Everest by Beck Weathers, with Stephen G. Michaud, Beck recalled a miraculous survival after a disastrous expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. He wrote about the history that led up to the noteworthy climb, he covered his details from the climb itself as well as his rescue, and discussed the impact the experience made in his life and relationships.

As a child, Beck Weathers was average. With a father in the military, he moved around a lot and was able to experience different cultures. He, along with his two brothers, played the typical pranks a young boy would enjoy and learn about camping and scouting. School was not a number one priority, although he was more inclined to study and to socialize with other children his age. Unbeknown to him at the time, Beck had a family that was prone to escaping from life's harsh realities rather than chasing them. His father turned to alcohol, his brother turned to alcohol and exercise, and Beck found himself chasing away depression, which he calls the black dog, by obsessing on different activities.

While on a family vacation one year with his wife and two children, he discovered a love for hiking. This became a new obsession, which he pursued by taking more dangerous routes. He realized that he thrived on the thrill of survival in precarious situations. The pursuit did help him drive away depression, but it also threatened to break up his marriage and put his relationship with his children in jeopardy. Every mountain that he climbed token closer to the ultimate Mountain, Everest. Each mountain that he climbed drove him farther away from his family.

The year he was going to turn fifty, Beck signed up for an expedition with the famous guide, Rob Hall. Despite his promise to his daughter, he was going to tackle Everest. Unexpected storms came in, and many people died, including his leader. When the rescue team went out and found Beck, they left his body and went back to camp to send a message to his wife, Peach, that he was dead. Miraculously, he opened his eyes and laboriously made his way back to the camp, astonishing everyone.

After the expedition, Beck went home to Texas to rebuild his world physically and emotionally. While he was in peril on the mountain, he reevaluated his life and found out where he was lacking. As he went through numerous surgeries and learn to live without both his hands, Beck also had to take steps to help reconcile his marriage and gain his wife's trust back.

Throughout their lives, both Beck and Peach had supporting family and friends who were ready to help them in time of need. This book tells Beck's story from his own perspective, his wife's perspective, the children's perspective, and the friends' perspectives with alternating points of view. The disastrous expedition was actually the catalyst to change Beck's world around and offer him life.