Two boys, one a Cree Indian and the other the city-born nephew of a trapper, need all their skills and knowledge to survive in the Arctic wilderness they are exploring alone.
When three whalers are shipwrecked in the eastern Arctic, they are nursed back to health by Eskimo villagers who teach them about their traditions, beliefs, and culture.
A fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy who feels assailed by the modernity of his life takes a 1,400-mile journey by dog sled across ice, tundra, and mountains seeking his own "song" of himself.
Presents a history of native American people of the Arctic, describes their adaptation to a severe environment, and explores their way of life before and after the arrival of the white man.