Bret takes an inexperienced Rose rock climbing in the High Sierras, but then Bret falls and gets injured. With no way to retreat off the wall, the only way down is up and their fate is in Rose's hands. It's "climb or die".

Gripped is a feature length rock-climbing survival epic that takes place on the side of a thousand foot cliff in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Gripped tells the story of Rose, a gym climber from Los Angeles on her first outdoor climb. While bouldering with her friend Jade, Rose falls for Bret, an experienced outdoorsman. She talks him into taking her - against his better judgment - on a famous, advanced rock-climbing route called "Killer Pillar." Disaster strikes when Bret falls and suffers a serious head injury and torn shoulder. With no way to go but up, Rose has to lead the climb to the summit. When night falls they still have a long way to go and are forced to bivouac on a cliffside ledge. The next day, as a storm approaches, Bret drifts in and out of consciousness. It's up to Rose to save them both.—Benjamin Galland