n 1931 when thirteen-year-old Jackie Gould is a stowaway on an old steamer bound for the sealing grounds of the North Atlantic. What the boy thought would be a big adventure, however, quickly turns to toil for Jackie when he is caught out by the crew. But there are bigger adventures in store for the sealers. The ship's supply of blasting powder, which is carried for freeing the vessel from the death grip of the ice, suddenly explodes, forcing all aboard the Viking onto the ice. In the darkness and confusion, Jackie finds himself drifting away in the night on a piece of ice as the ship burns and disappears. Now his only companion is a 23-year-old sealer. The life and death struggle that ensues soon forces Jackie to lose his childish ways. He will have to help his ingenious companion if they are going to stay alive without the basic necessities of life.