A champion rodeo rider receives crippling injuries in the ring, resulting in the ending of his career. When his wife deserts him, he's left with the responsibility of raising two young sons with no job and no prospects.

The story of a champion sled dog named Kavik who survives a plane crash in the wilds of Alaska and is found and cared for by a young boy named Andy Evans. But the dog's owner finds Kavik and takes him back to his home in Colorado where the dog escapes and embarks on a 2,000-mile odyssey in search of Andy.