Jim Holden, a young doctor practicing in Alaska, eagerly awaits the arrival of his new nurse, Anne Webster. All of his previous nurses have been driven home within a few weeks by the rigors of the Alaskan winter, the primitive conditions and the surly disposition of their employer. Anne appears to be no exception, for after her first glimpse of her desolate new surroundings, she states that she will be returning home the next morning. Before she leaves, however, she witnesses Jim and his Eskimo assistant Joe deliver Mrs. Bearfat Tillicoot's baby by a Caeserian section. Anne is deeply impressed by Jim's dedication as he use his own blood to give Mrs. Tillicoot a life-saving transfusion. That night, Joe's wife Koda pleads with Anne to stay, but she remains firm in her resolve, even though she is again impressed by Jim's kindness to his patients. She watches as he refuses payment from a miner, whose dying partner was able to end his life quickly with the drugs that Jim left for him to use if he wished. The next day, Anne is about to leave when U.S. Marshal Bill Bogler arrives with Ninimook, an Eskimo Bogler arrested for fur theft. During their struggle, Bogler had fractured Ninimook's skull, and he now demands that Jim save the man's life. Anne assists as Jim performs the dangerous brain surgery, but she leaves as Ninimook convalesces. After she is gone, Jim is needed to attend the Tillicoot baby, but is forced to stay with Ninimook. Jim warns Bogler that he will be held responsible if the Eskimo dies, but Ninimook soon recovers. As Bogler is praising Jim's surgical skill, he mentions a Dr. Gary Currier, a brilliant surgeon who fled Seattle five years earlier after being arrested for the euthanasic death of his terminally-ill father, who was also a prominent physician. Jim shrugs off Bogler's intimations, although he is in fact Currier, then goes to visit the Tillicoots. There he finds Anne, who, having chosen to say, has been tending the ill baby for two days. Jim is delighted to see her, and as the pair return to his house, their mutual attraction becomes obvious. When they arrive, Jim is forced to admit that he is Currier, and Bogler arrests him. Jim pleads with Anne to look after his patients until another doctor arrives, then leaves with Bogler. Joe and Anne follow them and help Jim escape with the aid of his lead sled dog, Blitzen. While Jim is in hiding, he reveals to Anne that his father committed suicide and that he accepted the blame in order to protect his father's reputation. Bogler is overcome by snow blindness while he is chasing Jim, and despite the danger to his own life and freedom, Jim tends to Bogler and restores his eyesight. Grateful for the doctor's help, Bogler grants Jim his freedom, and Jim and Anne celebrate with Joe and Koda.