Raised in a cabin on the shore of Lake Superior by his alcoholic father Sam, Sevigne Torrins dreams of becoming a writer. When Sam dies, Sev heads for the bright lights of Toronto, where he works on a novel, mixes with the literati, drinks too much and falls in love.
Weary of the life he is leading, Sev retreats to the lake. Battling through an incredibly harsh winter in the complete isolation of Rye Island he starts to write in earnest, and in his triumph over the elements, achieves a kind of redemption.
