Ben, a 13 year old teenager, is invited by his Uncle on his annual annoeing-camping-fishing trip into the fabled North Woods with their French Canadian guide. Their voyageur-like guide, Mick, meets them at Duluth airport then drives them to the fringes of civilization where they launch their canoes into the wilderness. The trip is an awakening for Ben who learns outdoor lore, the history of the North Woods, the way of the Voyageur, while solving a family mystery. This story is part educational, part history and a touch of mystery all wrapped up in the magic the North Woods.