When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, a twelve-year-old orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a small canoe, fleeing northward to escape the disease. With the lessons that Old Carl, a man who watched over the boy at the camp, taught him, Leif has only basic supplies, struggling to survive along the shorelines and inlets that teem with bears and whales. Eating the fish he catches and berries he collects along the way, the young orphan battles to stay alive in spite of constant challenges. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer Leif comes to understanding his true self. Inspired by the author’s love of the sea and his own journey up the Pacific coast, this is the last book written by Gary Paulsen. It will appeal to fans of Hatchet and readers who appreciate a sensitive exploration of self identity through adventure and the challenges of nature.