Standing on the top of the world would come to mean different things to explorers Robert Peary and Matthew Henson. To win the international race to the North Pole would bring glory to Peary and the American people. For Matthew Henson, an African-American man hired by Peary to be his valet on the expeditions, the Arctic would provide him with a sense of personal achievement and would prove to be an equalizer in a region where "everything is so connected, but everything's so free."

Henson would prove over the course of their 18-year quest to reach the North Pole to be a natural and intuitive explorer, who not only blazes trails and masters the Inuit survival skills, but also saves Peary's life on more than one occasion. The expedition also includes four Inuit men, Ootah, Seegloo, Egingway, and Ooqueah. Natives of the Arctic region, their survival skills and knowledge of the terrain and environment are instrumental to the success of the final journey.

Henson and the Inuits develop a bond of mutual respect and admiration. The Inuits call him "Maripaluk" or the "Kind One". Henson calls them his friends. And it appears that for the first time in his life, Henson is accepted as a person by people of a different race.

From 1891 until 1909 the explorers face overwhelming and inhumane conditions. Sledges fall into gaping snowcovered crevices and precious caches of supplies disappear in mountainous snow drifts. The human sacrifice is more acute where frostbite is routine and each step means certain death.

Throughout their trips together, Peary is ambivalent about Henson's contributions and skill as an explorer. Yet when the time comes for Peary to choose who will accompany him on the final leg to the North Pole, he chooses Henson. While admitting that Henson is the most skilled and experienced member of the team, Peary diminishes Henson's leadership abilities in saying to another crew member that Henson "doesn't have the character necessary due to racial inheritance" to lead a party back to land.