Homesteaders Jack and Mabel have carved out a quiet life of hard work and routine for themselves in the wilderness that is 1920s Alaska, both still deeply longing for the child it's now impossible for them to have. Yet their love for each other is strong, and in a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they play together, building a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but a trail of tiny footsteps remains. For weeks following, they both catch glimpses of a blond little girl alone in the woods but neither dares mention it to the other, afraid that long-buried hopes have overruled common sense.
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