Two years ago, Brian Robeson was stranded alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days with nothing but a small hatchet ... Now the government wants him to do it again ... This time, he won't be alone: Derek Holtzer, a government psychologist, will accompany him. But during a freak storm, Derek is hit by lightning and falls into a coma. Their radio transmitter is dead. Brian's only hope is to build a raft and try to transport Derek a hundred miles...