Thirteen-year-old Megan is miserable. Filled with resentment toward her younger brother, Zak, who seems to take all her parents' time, Megan thinks she might as well be on another planet for all anyone cares. When she is sent by her parents to live with her oddball aunt Crystal in Alaska for the summer, Megan feels like a castaway. Once again, her brother Zak has won.

Things begin to look up, however, when Megan meets other teenagers who invite her to a drumming ceremony and soon convince her to go to wilderness school with them. As Megan endures the rigors of training with the group, she is brought closer to her new friends Carly, Jana, Stacy, and J. D.—and she hopes J. D. might one day become more than just a buddy. When the group leaves on an expedition, Megan's physical strength and emotional stamina are tested as she struggles through the rigors of backpacking, climbing, and kayaking in the wild.

In the exquisite beauty of the natural environment, Megan finally begins to mend her wounded spirit. But just as she discovers her own ability to heal others, she must face her biggest challenge ever.