In 1967, Stuart Hodgson, a pugnacious British Columbia labour leader, was the newly-appointed Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, responsible for establishing a fledgling government in the frontier capital of Yellowknife. Written by his former aide and confidante, Umingmak is a first-hand account of Hodgson's tireless and often controversial efforts to introduce self-government and bring the remote and undeveloped Arctic into the modern world.

As Hodgson implemented his grand schemes, he became known as a dictator, albeit a benevolent one. His initiatives ranged from the practical (helping Inuit citizens choose surnames to replace government-issued ID numbers) to the visionary (founding the Arctic Winter Games) to the grandiose (organizing three Royal visits). Determined to take power to the people, Hodgson had to balance Dene, Inuit and Métis aspirations with those of non-Indigenous residents, business interests and the shifting priorities of the federal government. His actions fundamentally shaped both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, transforming this last frontier.