Beyond the borders of the "lower forty-eight" lies America's ultimate wilderness, Alaska. The Big Land arouses dreams of terrifying cold, of snowy mountains, caribou, salmon, Eskimos, bears, gold and vast, million-acre tracts of virgin country. Now, come into the country with a justly celebrated guide, John McPhee. Take a remarkable journey with him by kayak down an arctic river, fish with him, explore the back country with him, help search for the site of a new state capital, join in the daily events of Eagle, a bush community of one hundred souls. Alaska has been intriguing folk for centuries. John McPhee gives it to us in all its dimensions: the pioneers, the politicians, the new frontiersmen. The ordinary people with extraordinary dreams. McPhee leaves us with images we will never forget.