Australian teenager, Wesley Auld, his best friend Graham Finlay, worst enemy, Scott Willis and sixty other classmates take part in a hike up a mountain track in the Victorian high country in late September during a Year Eight school camp. With Graham's help he rescues Scott and nine others after they are caught out by a sudden blizzard. Together they spend a wild night in a small mountain hut. Wesley's acts of bravery impress Scott, just as other events in the hut cause Wesley to think about the animosity between Scott and himself. They are drawn together by the crisis, and each confides in the other about his life as they await rescue. And after help arrives, Scott's new regard for Wesley causes him to react just quickly enough to save the boy's life when they are very close to reaching safety.