After the tragic death of their mother and their father's disappearance, the Morrison children have no alternative but to live with their Uncle Zep. They fearfully dread leaving civilization to live in his secluded cabin in the wilderness. But when Zep shares his knowledge and love, the children come to care deeply for both the kindhearted old man and their new life among nature's majestic splendor. The county welfare department fiercely opposes this living arrangement and rules that the children must be placed in foster homes. The family's only chance to stay together is to hide out in Zep's fishing shack on the other side of the mountains and their treacherous journey pits them against the perilous side of nature.