Josh Ladd, anguishing over a quarrel with his best friend Tank, joins officers of the Alaskan Fish and Game Dept. to fly a tranquilized “nuisance” bear from Anchorage to be released in a primitive area. Bad weather forces the float plane down where it sinks in a remote mountain lake. The survivors swim to a nearby uninhabited island. With no food, no fire, no shelter, and an injured pilot, the group struggles to stay alive. The once-sedated bear, now very angry, also makes it to shore.

Cold, hunger, and threats from the bear are complicated when Josh and an unfriendly boy passenger make an improvised raft and paddle to another island where they see smoke. Hoping to find help, they encounter a wild-eyed recluse miner instead who accuses the boys of trying to steal his gold. Will Josh and the others be rescued before it’s too late?