After months of building a rough road to the railhead, a mine partner fights wind and waves to reach a remote gold camp in the northern woods. The crossing brings a brush with wolves and gunfire. When he arrives, tensions are high, ore is missing, and a shadowy figure moves through the bush at night. A young woman appears with her own connection to the mine and a plan she will not explain.
Sabotage, claim disputes, and a string of dangerous "accidents" point to a scheme that could strip the partners of their find. Following tracks along corduroy roads, lakes, and logging trails, he works to learn who is raiding the shipments and why. Dynamite, night chases, and tight-lipped locals raise the stakes as winter closes in.
The puzzle turns on loyalty, greed, and the treacherous terrain itself, where every choice must be made fast and in the dark-often alone.