In the late summer of 1809, Louis Cloutier, 18, is aboard the "Nancy," a schooner of the North West Fur Company, sailing from Fort Amherstburg on a journey of 400 miles, and heading for Fort St. Joseph, the furthest northern British outpost. This is a small fort, located in the wilderness, isolated from the outside world, particularly during the long hard winters. Forty soldiers garrison the fort. The British Indian Department has a post there, where Louis' father is employed as the new store keeper; the Department assists the traders in their dealings with the Indian tribes; also, to ensure the continued allegiance of the Indians to the British crown. The fur trading companies have facilities outside the fort. Their agents are mostly Métis with their voyageurs mainly from Lower Canada. The people of the fort are thrown together, dependent on each other for survival, and tangles occur in their relationships, often leading to dire consequences. Louis meets a Métis kitchen helper, Giselle Lortie. In 1812 war breaks out, he leaves her, to accompany Captain Charles Roberts in his expedition to capture Fort Michillimackinac from the Americans. Louis finds his Ojibwe grandmother, when the dramatic conclusion of the story unfurls.