Tintin decides to go in search of Chang, who has disappeared in an aeroplane crash in Nepal. Along with his faithful friends Captain Haddock and Snowy, the heroic reporter leads a gruelling mission through the peaks of the Himalayas. This adventure was written during a period of great change in Hergé's life and career. Twenty-five years after his meeting with Chang Chong-chen, Hergé was going through a difficult period in his life and often thought of his friend. During the troubled war years he had lost all trace of Chang and was desperate to make contact with him again. Although Hergé had no luck, Tintin eventually manages, against all the odds, to find his friend. Throughout the story there are no baddies, nor are there any car chases or madcap events: the narrative is kept bare and essential. This was Hergé's favourite book, and was probably the most personal adventure for the author.