The North Pole was a mystery in the mid-19th century, many explorers who ventured into its wastelands never returned. After another failed expedition in 1845, even more concerted efforts were made to reach the Northernmost point of the globe. Fleming relays these stories. Elisha Kane was a poor leader of his crew, Charles Hall died of a stroke after his men refused to obey his orders. Later, the obsessive Robert Peary even took his pregant wife with him in order to set the record for the most northerly birth in history. Fleming gives an insight into the disasters and triumphs of these explorations.