Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.

Francis, Lottie, and Billy survive a series of hair-raising adventures while on their way west, held together by their goal to find Francis' family on the Oregon Trail.

After having survived alone in the wilderness, Brian finds that he can no longer live in the city but must return to the place where he really belongs.

In this sequel to Hatchet, Paulsen takes the wilderness adventure beyond self-preservation & makes teen Brian responsible for saving someone else. Because of his success surviving alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days, fifteen-year-old Brian, profoundly changed by his time in the wild, is asked to undergo a similar experience to help scientists learn more about the psychology of survival. "We want you to do it again." These words, spoken to...