Miami dentist Ted Brooks (Cuba Gooding Jr) only learns that he is adopted when he receives word that his biological mother, a resident of Alaska, has died and named him in the will. Shocked and surprised, Ted travels north to claim his inheritance, which includes a set of seven Siberian huskies who have been trained as a sled team.

When he then gets an offer from crusty mountain man Thunder Jack (James Coburn) to buy the dogs for the upcoming Arctic Challenge Sled Dog Race, Ted decides to stay behind and discover his roots by learning to race the dogs himself.