In 1811, Marie Dorion, a member of the Iowa people and motherof two boys, joins her husband on a harrowing overlandexpedition to establish a fur trading post in the PacificNorthwest. While her husband, Pierre, serves as the officialtranslator of the undertaking, Marie soon proves to be hisequal as they trade with Native Americans along the way. Whentheir journey is bogged down by the poor decisions of theexpedition's leader, who is more businessman than mountainman, the party nearly starves, and Marie is forced to buryher newborn third child in an unmarked grave. Though theyeventually reach the safety of Fort Astoria, Marie's worstordeal still lies ahead. While trapping in the mountains, herhusband is killed in a Native American raid, and Mariestruggles to survive the winter with her two sons in a hastilybuilt shelter. When their meager supply of food is depleted,Marie sets out into a blizzard in a desperate attempt to findhelp, risking a lonely death to save her children's lives.
