In the Great North Woods of northern Maine, Aaron O'Neill traps for fur and pelts during the cold winter months to make a living. His only companions are a team of nineteen mongrel sled dogs who pull his sled laden with fur and supplies during his runs out on his traplines and his few frequent trips into town. When a tragic accident leaves Aaron severely injured, he is forced to rely on his sled dogs to get him home safely. But although he is rescued, Aaron is forced to abandon his dogs up at his trapping cabin. Recovering from critical injuries and with the harsh weather preventing him from returning to his cabin, Aaron cannot return to the cabin to rescue his stranded sled dogs. During the next five months of Maine's brutal cold winter, several of Aaron's sled dogs break loose and struggle to survive in the snow-covered wilderness of Maine's North Woods until they are rescued by their loving master.