This is a story about three orphans named Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who are
trying to escape Count Olaf, a man who wants their family fortune.
As Count Olaf drives away with Sunny and his gang, Violet and Klaus roll down the slopes
of the Mortmain Mountains in a caravan.
Violet and Klaus safely escape the caravan, but it rolls off the cliff.
After being attacked by snow gnats, Violet and Klaus find refuge in a mountain cave,
which is occupied by a group of Snow Scouts, one of whom is a girl named Carmelita, a former
classmate who teased the Baudelaires.
During the night, one of the scouts leads Violet and Klaus through a secret passage
that leads them to the headquarters of the VFD, a secret society.
However, the headquarters have been burned down.
The scout reveals he is Quigley Quagmire, the sibling of the Baudelaire’s friends
who was thought to have died in a fire.
Quigley shares his research about the VFD and that the organization had a schism where
some members split off.
Meanwhile, Count Olaf forces Sunny to cook for the gang and Sunny makes a signal atop
the mountain with green smoke.
Violet, Klaus, and Quigley see the signal, and Violet and Quigley climb the frozen waterfall
to investigate the signal, while Klaus tries to decipher a secret code amongst the ashes
of the burnt VFD headquarters.
Violet and Quigley see Sunny at the top of the mountain and they want to immediately
escape with her, but Sunny wants to stay with Count Olaf to figure out his plan because
there may be a safe place that VFD members could be hiding.
Violet and Quigley slip away as Sunny returns to being Count Olaf’s prisoner.
Violet comes up with a plan to get Sunny back by trapping Mrs. Squalor, Count Olaf’s girlfriend,
and using her to trade for Sunny.
Klaus and Quigley are hesitant of the plan, but decide it's the only way and start digging
a pit.
Mrs. Squalor is lured down the mountain by green smoke, but just as she is about to step
in the trap, Violet, whose face is covered by a mask, stops her.
Klaus and Quigley also put on masks and they claim to be volunteers of the VFD, demanding
to speak to Count Olaf about getting back Sunny.
Mrs. Squalor agrees and the children drag her up the frozen waterfall.
At the summit, Violet asks Count Olaf for Sunny, but he refuses.
However, when Violet claims to know where the sugar bowl is, which somehow contains
secret information, Count Olaf considers a trade for Sunny.
Through negotiations, Count Olaf decides to throw Sunny off the cliff, but the children
take off their masks to reveal themselves.
Sunny is reunited with her siblings, as a sinister man with a beard and no hair and
a woman with hair and no beard demonstrate their control over a large flock of eagles.
The man and woman share their plan to recruit the group of Snow Scouts, who are approaching
in the distance.
When the Snow Scouts reach the group, Violet and Klaus try to warn them of Count Olaf,
but they don't believe them.
The man and woman command the eagles to lift up a large net that captures the Snow Scouts.
The Baudelaires and Quigley escape down the frozen waterfall on a sled, but Quigley gets
separated in the rushing river.
In the end, the Baudelaires float down the river knowing that they must meet the other
volunteers at a place called Hotel Denouement before Count Olaf gets there.