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 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 one another's cultures, and demands from them more courage, determination and trust than they ever thought they could muster.