As he fell into the abyss, he asked himself: Why do explorers put themselves in dangerous situations. And, once the worst possible situation occurs, how do explorers find the resources to survive? In answering these questions, Benedict Allen weaves a series of tales from his own experiences driving a dogsled across the ice bridge linking Siberia with North America, as well that of other explorers including Columbus, Cortez, Shakelton, Stanley, Livingstone - and their modern counterparts: Joe Simpson and Ranulf Fiennes.