A young man from the "lower 48" vacations to Alaska in the hope of securing spectacular outdoor winter photographs and finds himself caught in a frigid, killer blizzard. Holed up in a dirt-floor cabin forty miles from the nearest civilization, and in spite of ample supplies for survival, the man learns the terrible lessons of ignorance in the wilderness, the hard way. A team of snowmobilers is dispatched to try and bring the 'Cheechako' to safety. But even they get into trouble. The young man is forced to survive on his own as frostbite takes its toll. Without immediate help, frostbite leads to gangrene and then amputation is usually necessary - alone, and in the wilderness?