Becky has always lived with her family in a log cabin in the Yukon, but when the fur market dwindled away, her father, a dog musher and trapper, had to quit trapping and she and her family moved into town. Now her father is depressed: he doesn’t laugh or talk to anyone. He tires easily and can’t stand any noise or stress. Worse, he has lost interest in sled racing — a love that he and Becky once shared. When spring comes, the family decides to go back to their cabin for the summer. Becky’s mother hopes that going back to the mountains will cheer up Dad, but Becky has another plan. She’s going to train her own dog team to race in the Junior Quest, a challenging five-day dog race across Alaska, in hopes of making her father happy.The journey to the cabin will be a test for both Becky and her dogs. Will they make it to the cabin before the ice breaks? Will her mother give up on her father if he doesn't get better soon? And will her parents discover the secret that she has been keeping from them?