The story of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, who set out on an Antarctic expedition in 1934 with the aim of collating weather data and indulging his desire "to taste peace and quiet long enough to know how good they really are". But things went badly wrong and he was soon engaged in a battle for survival.

When Admiral Richard E. Byrd set out on his second Antarctic expedition in 1934, he was already an international hero for having piloted the first flights over the North and South Poles. His plan for this latest adventure was to spend six months alone near the bottom of the world, gathering weather data and indulging his desire "to taste peace and quiet long enough to know how good they really are". But early on, things went terribly wrong. Isolated in the pervasive polar night with no hope of release until spring, Byrd began suffering inexplicable symptoms of mental and physical illness. By the time he discovered that carbon monoxide from a defective stovepipe was poisoning him, Byrd was already engaged in a monumental struggle to save his life and preserve his sanity.

"Better than most modern explanations, Byrd's book shows why men and women still cast themselves into danger in remote parts of the world." - The Los Angeles Times Book Review