Drama based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who left his middle class existence to live in the Alaskan wilderness. Giving up his home, family, and all possessions bar the few he carries on his back, McCandless (Emile Hirsch) embarks on a journey through America. His ultimate goal is to reach the wilds of Alaska, to spend time with untamed nature, away from the obligations and relationships of the modern world. In the months leading up to his 'Great Alaskan Adventure' his travels take him on a journey of self-discovery, where he learns to appreciate the world around him and to reflect on his troubled upbringing. When he reaches Alaska he finds he is ill prepared for the hardships to come. After making it through a tough winter he prepares to return home in spring, only to find the stream he crossed in the snow has become an impassable raging torrent and that he is trapped.