 At the end of World War I, Zeb Kennedy (Richard Burton), a canner, and Thor Storm (Robeet Ryan), a fishing boat captain, set up a fish cannery in Alaska and through the years find themselves on opposite sides of Alaska s bid for statehood. Zeb is determined to let nothing and no one stop him from building his business and gaining great wealth. At first Zeb and Thor s girlfriend, Birdie (Carolyn Jones), are only good friends. But even though Zeb and Birdie fall in love, Zeb remains devoted to his greater love: money. Zeb goes off to Seattle to find money for his business. There he marries Dorothy (Martha Hyer), the heir to his former employer. When Dorothy and Thor find out that Zeb and Birdie are secret lovers, Thor attacks Zeb, knocking him out. His friendship with Zeb ended, Thor heads off into the Alaskan wilderness, where he is rescued by an Eskimo family. There, Thor begins to work for Alaskan statehood, while Zeb works to advance himself through his business. Based the novel by Edna Ferber ("Cimarron," "Giant").