The novel is about a series of letters from the explorer Robert Walton to his sister Margaret. It is about his dangerous voyage to the North Pole. In his first letter he tells her about the preparations that were made for their journey.
In the following letters he tells her that he was isolated and had no one to share his dreams. But informs her that he is confident that he will achieve his dreams.
He explains how the ship is stuck between two sheets of ice. They find a stranger who is weak and had starved for days. He refuses to board their ship. Walton and the stranger eventually become friends.
