The events of Allen Hasselborg's life could have been imagined by a clever novelist hoping to create just what every reader would want in a story about the north during the first half of the twentieth century: A young man comes to Alaska to seek his fortune in the awe-inspiring wilderness, but finds his destiny instead. In the process, this sturdy Midwesterner learns the skills of a prospector, miner, boat builder, trapper, fisherman, wilderness guide, and homesteader.

At all these things he eventually excels, but his greatest fame comes from his greatest skill: he is a peerless bear hunter.

Then, to round off the story and bring it up to date, the tale takes the most romantic turn of all. As his respect for the great brown bears of Admiralty Island increases, the hero loses his interest in killing them. His love for the singular place that is southeastern Alaska grows, and with it comes a singular acceptance of the mighty animals that rule its craggy shores and misty forests.

The hunter hunts no longer and becomes an inspiration to conservationists who would preserve the bears' realm forever.