The Klondike gold strike of 1897 inspires fortune-seekers to head for Alaska. South Carolina brothers Joe and Jim; Lars, escaping a shrewish wife in Michigan; a poor farmer from Kansas; weathered prospectors from Nevada; and countless other leave San Francisco by ship. The Bulkys head north to open a restaurant, bringing poor relative Berna along to help. On board Berna meets Larry and falls in love. The overland route to Dawson City is hazardous and arduous. Each person must carry their own food, a ton of it, which means traveling 80 miles back and forth to advance one mile, carrying 50 pounds a trip. The Chilkoot Pass is one of the worst sections of the trail. In the spring the trekkers take to the rivers, swollen by melting ice. Whitehorse Rapids proves the last and biggest obstacle to reaching the gold fields. But that's not the end of the hardships. Claim jumping, blizzards, fires, and Berna's honor at stake are to be faced before anyone strikes it rich.
—Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>