Miyax, also known as Julie, is a 13-year-old girl living in Alaska. She ran away from home a week ago, leaving behind her teenage husband, Daniel, who frightens Miyax. She is determined to walk to Point Hope, board the ship the North Star, and go to San Francisco to live with her pen pal, Amy. Miyax is now lost and alone somewhere deep in the wilderness of the North Slope of Alaska. She has set up a camp in a frost heave but is scared “because of her desperate predicament” (6) and worried that she will not find her way before running out of food. It is summertime, and the Arctic is enjoying round-the-clock sunshine, but colder weather and constant darkness will arrive soon.

A pack of wolves is near Miyax’s camp, and she observes them closely. She hopes to get the wolves to help her by bringing her food. Miyax’s father, Kapugen, told her that it was possible for wolves to bring humans food when they were desperate. He said that it happened to him but never explained how. Kapugen is presumed dead after he never returned from a seal hunt. Later in the novel, Kapugen will prove to be very much alive.