Jamie, an orphan who must leave his upper-class boarding school to live with an uncle in the wilderness of Manitoba, Canada, has no idea of the incredible adventure that awaits him. During a hunting trip, he and Awasis, a Native American Indian boy, become separated from the group. Finding themselves lost and alone in the icy and dreaded wilderness called The Barrens, their struggle to survive against impending doom strips away their prejudice toward...

Focuses on the fate of the Ihalmiut people of Northern Canada who suffered cultural decline, food shortages, and outside exploitation throughout the twentieth century.