In the forest of Siberia, in the first years of the twentieth century, a white pony runs free with his herd. But his life changes forever when he’s captured by men. Years of hard work and cruelty wear him out. When he is chosen to be one of twenty ponies to accompany the Englishman Robert Falcon Scott on his quest to become the first to reach the South Pole, he doesn’t know what to expect. But the men of Scott’s expedition show him kindness, something he’s never known before. They also give him a name—James Pigg.
As Scott’s team hunkers down in Antarctica, James Pigg finds himself caught up in one of the greatest races of all time. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen has suddenly announced that he too means to be the first to the Pole. But only one team can triumph, and not everyone can survive—not even the animals.
Iain Lawrence’s suspenseful novel intersperses accounts of the famous rivalry between Scott and Amundsen—and their expeditions to the remotest place on earth—with the story of one of the race’s unsung heroes.