When Miami dentist Ted Brooks finds out that he's been named in a will, he travels to Alaska to claim his inheritance. Once he gets there, however, his dreams turn to mush: he discovers he's been left a team of sled dogs. Not only do the dogs not warm up to him, but a crusty old mountain man named Thunder Jack feels as though the dogs rightfully belong to him. When Jack bullies him into hotfooting it back to warmer climates, Ted becomes determined to learn to mush, no matter what it takes.