This journal tells the story of Russian navigator Valerian Albanov's amazing ordeal in the Arctic. In 1914, Albanov joined a hunting and fishing expedition that would scout for whales, walruses and other lucrative sea life in the Arctic Circle. His ship, the Saint Anna, became trapped in pack ice only a few months into the journey, and remained frozen for nearly two years. With supplies running low and tempers fraying, Albanov and thirteen other men build kayaks and sledges out of materials on board the ship and set out across the ice, hoping to reach Franz Josef Land and Cape Flora, more than 120 miles away.

The group of men consisted mainly of sailors and hunters, not seasoned explorers, and mishap after mishap plagues the team despite Albanov's leadership and problem-solving skills. All are suffering from malnutrition and particularly scurvy, which adds to their difficulties. Albanov is a brilliant man but perhaps not the most personable of leaders; he rails against what he sees as laziness and despair on the part of his compatriots. Eventually, it is only Albanov and one other sailor who will survive the voyage across the ice. The story of their journey is amazing, and Albanov tells it well.