Doe Sia, a ten-year-old Bannock girl, became known for her bravery when she and her heroic pet, Otterdog, saved a little boy from drowning. On the other side of the world in Denmark, Emma has also earned a reputation for courage by rescuing an elderly man from a burning barn. When Emma immigrates to America and joins the "Handcraft Pioneers" she and Doe Sia meet and form an immediate bond. This bond is tested during a fierce mountain blizzard, in which Emma is sure she will die. But Doe Sia knows how to build a shelter from branches, get meat from a dead buffalo, and, most important, find  her way back to her people. Together the girls face one of nature's greatest threats. Together they must struggle to survive.