Russel is a 14-year-old Inuit boy living on the Alaskan Arctic seacoast. He feels dissatisfied with the modern influences replacing traditional life in his village, such as snowmachines and imported foods. Seeking a deeper connection to nature and his heritage, he sets out to learn the ancient ways and find his own personal song. He is highly sensitive to his environment and determined to survive using ancestral methods.

Oogruk is an elderly, blind Inuit shaman and the last person in the village who maintains a sled dog team. He completely rejects modern conveniences, preferring to live by the old traditions. Blaming white missionaries for the erasure of Inuit songs and culture, he takes Russel in to pass on his extensive knowledge to a new generation.

Nancy is a young, orphaned woman who fled her strict settlement after facing severe religious persecution for an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Traumatized and without a home, she initially plans to die in the freezing tundra before her survival instincts take over. She joins Russel on his northern expedition, eager to learn traditional skills and escape the judgment of the outside world.

The team consists of five sled dogs bred from wolves, Mackenzie River huskies, and Coppermine River mutts. They are not treated as pets but rather as highly respected working partners with exceptional endurance. They possess powerful instincts for survival and direction, eventually functioning as an extension of their driver's own mind on the ice.

Russel's father is a single parent who has raised his son alone since his wife left with a trapper. He is a devout Christian who replaced a past alcohol addiction with chain-smoking. Having fully embraced the modern lifestyle and religious teachings brought by visiting missionaries, he has forgotten most traditional Inuit ways. He recognizes his son's dissatisfaction and encourages him to seek out Oogruk.