Drunken pilot Dan Owen can't understand why his life is falling apart. His wife Diane blames John Running Bear Cardinal, whose death Dan carries heavily on his own head. When blown off course during a storm, Dan comes across an abandoned World War II airport. Fascinated by its remote northern location, he checks it out and quietly builds camp. Back home, disaster strikes when Dan is diagnosed with ALS and is forced to enter a local hospice for treatment. Determined not to die in a hospital bed, Dan plans to make an escape and fly to his mountain hideout to live what's left of his life in the wild. However, when he leaves medical care, he finds two other terminal terminally ill patients on his tail. Dan agrees to let them come along, as they also plan to end their days on the mountain, but upon their arrival, Dan begins to feel guilt at leaving his wife behind. Diane, meanwhile, is being unwillingly courted by bully Cub Peterson and is at her wits end. Dan's experience on the mountain becomes the key to unlocking his thoughts, which gives him a new perspective on life and he re-evaluates his options.