As millions of readers of Hatchet, the River and Brian's Winter know, Brian Robeson survived alone in the wilderness by finding solutions to extraordinary challenges. But now that he's back in civilization, he can't find a way to make sense of high school life. He feels disconnected, more isolated than he did alone in the north woods. the answer is to return, to "go back in" for only in the wilderness can Brain discover his true path in life, and where he belongs.