This is a novel where the setting is much more than just background scenery. From the intimidating mountain ranges to the icy plains of the North Slope, the countryside of Alaska itself becomes the main adversary which demands the most from those who try to live or travel in it. But not all of Alaska is wilderness. There is also the urban world of Anchorage, not very different from Jake's home, and the interesting but hostile Indian village, home of Jake's friend Danny and his sister Kamina. In fact, it is in the world of the tiny Athabaskan settlement where the two cultures, modern Alaska and its ancient Indian heritage, collide.

Here Jake experiences the anger and desperation of a people who consider themselves doomed and pushed aside by modern progress, and here the idea of his racing is born. Following in detail the route of the famous...