Plot
As the last steamer of the season departs Nome, Alaska, a diverse group of passengers is aboard: wealthy industrialist Joseph Horn (Anders Randolf), his pampered daughter Ethelyn Horn (Josephine Dunn), her fiancé Bob Newton (Richard Alexander), the pious missionary Sister Burton (Myrtle Stedman), and a lighthearted vaudeville team that includes dancer Pearl (Nancy Carroll). Also traveling with them is Horn’s timid secretary, Peter Van Dykeman (Lawrence Gray).
Their journey soon turns perilous. Ice floes close in on the vessel, trapping it fast in the frozen sea. The situation grows dire until a group of passing fur traders offers to escort them to safety by dog team—for a price. Horn grudgingly pays $2,000 to secure the rescue.
The travelers set out by sled, but on their first night, disaster strikes: the sleds and supplies are stolen, leaving the party stranded in the desolate Alaskan wilderness. They stumble upon a deserted trading post and take shelter there.
With little food and no certainty of rescue, their ordeal exposes their true characters. Horn, blustering in prosperity, reveals himself to be a coward. Ethelyn, once refined, grows slovenly and hysterical under the strain. Sister Burton, whose faith had once steadied others, becomes embittered and shaken in her beliefs.
By contrast, Pearl, the chorus girl once dismissed as frivolous and immoral, proves to be resourceful and steadfast. She encourages the group, using humor and vaudeville routines to keep up morale. Even Peter, the effete secretary, finds himself relying on her courage.
Tension escalates when one of the native traders, Al (David Callis), returns and demands a shocking price for his assistance: a white girl as his reward. When Peter resists, Al shoots him, gravely wounding him.
The survivors’ plight becomes even more precarious. Al, now threatening the group, makes clear that his protection—and food—will come only if Pearl surrenders herself to him.
Pearl appears to waver, but when the moment comes, she seizes Al’s rifle, turning the tables. With the gun in her hands, she forces him to provide medicine and food for the wounded Peter, and she demands the return of the stolen dogs and sleds. Her quick thinking and bravery rescue the group from despair.
Peter, weak but recovering, realizes both the depth of Pearl’s courage and his own unexpected resilience. Summoning his strength, he resolves to act. With Pearl’s help, he boards a sled, and together they set out across the snowfields to seek real help.
Back at the cabin, the others wait, their true natures exposed by the ordeal: Horn, a coward; Ethelyn, a broken society girl; Sister Burton, a woman whose faith faltered. Only Pearl—the supposed “sin sister”—has shown genuine strength, compassion, and moral integrity.
