When Lori Wilson agreed to leave the Lower Forty and teach at a remote Alaskan logging camp, she did not realize that it would mean leaving behind televison, telephones, and grocery stores. Monk Island is surrouded by miles and miles of raw nature-including bears! Its people come from a variety of backgrounds but they have all adjusted well to the primitive living conditions. Lori, though, is clueless about wilderness survival and food preservation. She is not sure if she will last the summer, let alone the winter to come. But Alaskan people work together. And soon Lori has good friends who offer valuable tips and who welcome her loving way with their children. The only thing that bothers her now is her neighbor: cold, unfriendly Greg Jensen and his aloof cat, Marmalade. Lori may be able to tame the beast, but will she break the ice surrounding Greg's frigid heart? The challenge could cost both of their lives.