Inka Cresswell is an orphan. Living in an apartment ruled by a cruel and demanding Mistress and eight other orphaned girls including her younger sister, Sera, Inka is forced to work all day and spends her nights dreaming of her dead parents. Through it all she must stay strong, both for herself and five-year-old Sera. When a few orphans are asked to volunteer and go on a trip to Greenland with a group of environmentally-conscious geologists, Inka steps up with Sera at her side. They are whisked off to a magical world of snow and ice, where they discover family secrets, romance, and the disturbing effects of global warming. This is the story of a wintry summer that changed the lives of two girls forever.