A newsman Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) working in the northern tip of Alaska has just about run out of stories to report on when a family of endangered gray whales are trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.
The news brings his ex-girlfriend, Greenpeace volunteer and avid environmentalist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) to the rescue. Her efforts help bring attention to the whales' plight, not only from hordes of interested onlookers racing to the area, but from local politicians.
However, what Rachel and Adam need most of all is cooperation from both the American and Russian governments if the whales are to survive.
Based on the book "Freeing the Whales" by Tom Rose.