The "compelling" (Seattle Times) story behind a most sacred piece of American wilderness.

Adventurer Jonathan Waterman braves polar bears and frigid waters in a journey through the heart of the Alaskan wilds-and into the heated political debate surrounding the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. A 19-million-acre wilderness that may contain as much as 16 billion barrels of crude oil, the Refuge has been at the center of an epic battle between conservationists and developers. Waterman's unforgettable trek, which will air on PBS as part of National Geographic's Wild Chronicles series, brings readers face to face with perhaps the most sought after patch of American soil and those who-like the pioneering conservationists Olaus and Mardy Murie-have made it their life's work to preserve it.