Russ Sheppard takes a teaching job in a remote Arctic school to pay off his college debt to the Canadian government. It’s a community with the highest suicide rate in North America. Russ plans to fulfill his obligations and then move on to a teaching job in a more affluent school. Russ finds things tough as the Inuit students consider him a “white” man. They mistrust him.  Russ also realizes to get through to the students he has to understand their culture. The Inuits are poor, hungry, and find solace in heavy drinking. Russ, with the help of Miranda, his brightest student, feels certain  the way these students can survive is to participate in a competitive team sport like lacrosse. Initially, the students resist. They are too busy hunting for food and being saddled with  family obligations. Russ forces them to make the time to learn and play the game. They become so proficient, they are invited to a national tournament in Toronto. The teenagers are elated. For the first time they feel their lives have meaning. Russ now has to decide: should he take a cushy job at an elite prep school or stay with the Inuits, people he has grown to love?   

Ben Schnetzer (Russ Sheppard) / Emerald MacDonald (Miranda Atatahak)