A history of Alaska's seaports settled by fisherman, gold seekers, Scandinavians, Native peoples and Russian trappers. It is a time of a violent history as these diverse people carved their own isolated world from forests, cliff faces, and raging seas. This is a tale of wild men and intrepid women looking for a home from the world they rejected.

It is the story of empire builders like Russian Alexander Baranov, folk heroes like Wyatt Earp and Jack London, outlaws, ladies of the evening, saints and two-fisted American sailors like Hell Roaring Mike Healy and railroader Big Mike Heney, all overcoming tragedy and triumphing over man and nature.