As a solo pilot for the nation's newly formed airmail service, Edgar Anscombe (Christopher Reeve), a man haunted by a tragic memory, has made a career of keeping to himself over the years. But one day he's unexpectedly assigned an involuntary passenger: The rebellious and outspoken Tillie Hansen (Rosanna Arquette), whose unrelenting impudence drives Edgar crazy. But when their plane is forced to crash-land in a rugged and desolate mountain canyon, the unlikely companions find they have only one source of hope against the excruciating elements, the savage wilderness and a pack of hungry wolves, each other.