William Durbin je autor a pedagóg žijúci na okraji Minnesotskej divočiny Boundary Waters. Je držiteľom cien Great Lakes Book Award aj Minnesota Book Award a napísal množstvo kníh pre mladých čitateľov. Durbin sa venuje aj poézii a esejám a dohliadal na výskumné projekty písania pre NCTE, Middlebury College a Bingham Trust for Charity.
In 1905, fifteen-year-old Otto describes in his journal how he travels from Finland to America, joining his father in a dreary iron mining community in Minnesota and becoming involved in a union fight for better working conditions.
Set in 1800, the story follows thirteen-year-old Pierre LaPage, who aspires to be a voyageur despite his youth and inexperience. After his father's accident forces him to join the North West Company, Pierre faces the harsh realities of life on the fur trade route. Battling treacherous rapids, physical exhaustion, and the ridicule of older crew members, he embarks on a grueling 1,000-mile journey from Montreal to Grand Portage, testing his resilience and determination to support his family through the winter.