In this true story that reads as action-adventure, learn how 1,219 members of the world's largest whaling expedition managed to survive after becoming entrapped within an Arctic ice shelf.

In the late summer of 1871, thirty-nine whaling ships traveled to the frigid Arctic waters in search of the prized bowhead whale. Despite warnings from local Inuit tribes about impending inclement weather, thirty-two of the whaling ships--carrying 1,219 officers, crewmen, women, and children--decided to journey ahead. When a succession of icy storms ensued, the ships' captains realized that they were, literally, trapped in ice. What followed was a desperate race toward rescue--and against certain death. And, in an extraordinary testament to human courage and perseverance, all survived.