It begins with a light plane caught in a murderous snowstorm with a body strapped to its underside. It spans a world war, three continents, and is infused with an extraordinary love affair. This first novel by a Pulitzer-winning journalist won global acclaim and was published in nine languages. The story begins when Owen Hart, a down-on-his-luck Montana cowboy turned Bush pilot, is recruited in 1938 to fly for a Third Reich expedition (based on a true story) to claim a slice of Antarctica. The tale moves from Alaska to Germany to the cold southern ocean, where the explorers find a Norwegian whaling ship depopulated by disease next to a frozen volcanic island. Hart forms a partnership with biologist Greta Heinz to discover the cause in caverns below, but war and romantic rivalry separate the couple. Can Hart later find Greta in the fiery cauldron of bomber Berlin, and can the couple find their way back to Antarctica to thwart a desperate last-minute Nazi plan to win World War II?