Sitting next to the pilot and a single engine plane had it for the Canadian wilderness, where he will visit his father for the first time since his parents divorce, 13 year old Brian Robertson is haunted by thoughts of the divorce and has knowledge of the secret that caused it. When the plane crashes, Brian is the sole survivor. Left with only the clues on his back in a hatchet his mother gave him as a party gift. Brian must face the devastated truth. He must learn to survive.