In 1770, Prince of Wales Fort and the hinterlands of Canada are kingdoms within themselves. From well-established trading ceremonies to clandestine relationships with Native women to age-old smuggling operations, the fort is a microcosm of the chaotic New World, hosting dreary days and bacchanal nights.

Shenandoah, descendant of the famous Montour family, is sold to a Chipewyan chief and accompanies the Chipewyan people to the shores of Hudson Bay to trade furs for guns, blankets, and wares. Apprentice Jeremiah has arrived on the latest supply ship with dreams of advancement and riches. Instead, the young man finds himself unable to escape the intrigues that pervade this isolated post.

In a land where wet powder or an exploded gun means certain starvation and everything worth knowing is hidden from the "directors" across the pond, the stage is set for the development of a shaky and uncertain existence that clings to decorum while ever threatening to unravel.