In which a party of voyageurs embarks upon the hastily constructed canoes to navigate the wild and uncharted Snake River, meeting with the challenges of rapids, rocky straits, and the solitude of a rugged wilderness populated only by wary natives and silent beaver dwellings. The perils of the river culminate in a grievous accident at the fearful whirlpool known as The Caldron Linn, casting a somber shadow over the intrepid voyagers’ progress.