Things are tense for the middle schoolers in McCall, Idaho, so when Annette Willard suggests a fishing trip, Swann Siddiq, Kelton Fielding, and Hunter and Yumi Higgins all jump at the chance to get away from the drama. The group ventures out into the Idaho woods to Annette’s favorite river spot. But with the other four coupling off, Yumi quickly feels like she’s the only one catching fish, not feelings. Letting the others stay behind, Yumi makes her way home when she runs into Swann’s rival, McKenzie Crenner, and her friends—and instantly connects with professional fisher Mason Bridger. But when they spot smoke rising in the woods between town and their fishing spot, they realize there’s a forest fire raging—and closing in on them. The two friend groups must put aside their feud and work together if they’re going to get out of the forest alive.

Twelve-year-old Hunter Higgins has been dreaming about his first hunting trip for as long as he can remember. He's taken the classes, earned his license, and become one of the best marksmen in his family. Now he's old enough to join his father, grandfather, and uncle at their cabin for the first weekend of hunting season. There's only one problem: Hunter isn't sure he can kill an animal. To make things more complicated, when they arrive at the cabin, his cousin Yumi is there with her friend Annette, who Hunter secretly has a crush on. Anxious about the hunt and the humiliation of possibly failing, Hunter grapples with what it means to have the power of life and death in his hands, and must decide what role he wishes to play in his relationship to nature and to wildlife.

Kelton Fielding has always felt out of place, never sure what to say to his peers who, truth be told, only tolerate him. When a snowmobile race is announced at McCall’s annual Winter Festival, Kelton sees his chance to impress his classmates. He’ll fix up his old sled and get it running, and he’s planned out a risky shortcut through the wilderness that he’s sure will win him the prize. But when the popular Swann Siddiq and Kelton’s nemesis, Hunter Higgins, follow him into the backcountry, Kelton quickly runs into trouble and realizes that the competition is the least of his worries. With bad weather closing in and the risk of avalanche on the mountain, Kelton and the others find themselves in real danger, relying on their wits and teamwork to survive.