Against the Wild 2013

13-year-old Zach Wade and 12-year-old Hannah Wade are siblings whose parents have separated and are planning a divorce, a upheaval that casts a shadow over their lives. Yet their bond and their loyal dog, Chinook, an Alaskan Malamute, give them something steady to lean on as they prepare for a journey north to meet their father, Robert Wade, the vice president of a mining operation. The mood at home is tense, with adults juggling hurt feelings and practical concerns, but the kids try to stay hopeful, looking forward to time with their dad and the chance to keep their family unit intact in some form.

The trio climbs aboard a small sea plane for the voyage into the wilderness, and the ride starts off as a high-spirited adventure. The scenery below stretches out in endless blues and greens—lakes, rivers, pine forests, and distant mountains—that spark a sense of wonder in Zach and Hannah. The pilot, Charlie Foster, is calm and reassuring as the engine hums along, and for a moment the kids feel like nothing can go wrong in a place so vast and beautiful. Then disaster strikes: the engine coughs, smoke fills the cabin, and alarms scream through the cockpit. Charlie fights to keep the plane airborne as the craft spirals toward a brutal crash among treetops, slamming into the forest with a brutal jolt that knocks everyone unconscious.

When they wake, the plane lies broken and still, with Charlie wounded and the kids dazed but alive. Chinook keeps watch, licking Hannah’s face as she stirs, while Zach checks Charlie and tries the radio—only to find it dead. With the immediate danger past but the immediate trail to civilization uncertain, Zach and Hannah decide they must press on, collecting whatever tools and supplies they can from the wreck and setting off into the wilderness with Chinook by their side. The plane’s crash triggers a formal search back at base, led by [Robert Wade], who, anxious and determined, coordinates a rescue effort alongside Susan Wade. The parents’ own strain—now intensified by concern for their children—begins to evolve as the situation unfolds.

The children trail through the dense woods, unsure of their exact location but certain they must keep moving to stand any chance of being found. They quickly realize the forest is more treacherous than it first appeared, and the search for a safe waypoint grows more urgent with every mile. A distant helicopter’s shadow sweeps the sky, but the craft passes without spotting them, forcing Zach and Hannah to rely on their own wits and the dog’s instincts to survive. They discover a cave and build a small fire at its entrance, hoping for warmth and a signal of some kind. Chinook’s instincts sharpen as he growls at the cave mouth, sensing something unseen watching them from inside—a moment of quiet tension that keeps their nerves taut.

The morning light reveals a distant plateau that seems to promise visibility from above, and the siblings set their sights on reaching higher ground where they might be seen. In the interim, the search party’s efforts intensify at the home front: the company helicopter suffers a mechanical issue, and the authorities inform Robert and Susan that the trail of the missing plane may be difficult to follow. The parents’ relationship, already strained by divorce, brims with renewed tension as they confront the uncertain fate of their children and the strain of waiting.

Crossing a fast-moving river becomes a pivotal test of their resolve. They fashion a simple travois to help Hannah traverse the waterlogged terrain after she slips on the log that serves as a makeshift bridge, and Chinook dives in to help rescue her from the current when she’s pulled downstream. The return to safety is rough—the fall injures Hannah’s ankle, and the two must press on with the fear that time and patience are running out. The crisis grows as night descends, and a pack of wolves confronts the camp, forcing Zach to improvise a defense while Chinook holds the wolves at bay. The dog’s bravery buys them precious minutes, allowing Zach to craft a rudimentary sled so Chinook can haul Hannah through the woods when the going grows grueling.

The search and rescue camp eventually learns of the wreck’s location, and the rescuers rush to pull the three out of danger. Charlie Foster, rescued and barely alive, tells a baffling story—he woke up and found the children gone, with nothing but a note left behind. The sense of mystery deepens as Robert and Susan, meanwhile, grow closer through the shared peril, their own frayed relationship reshaped by the crisis and the kids’ precarious safety.

A hidden paradise awaits Zach and Hannah: a waterfall and a sparkling stream offer a brief moment of bounty and normalcy, where Zach catches a salmon by hand and the siblings share a rare calm. A curious raccoon snakes into Zach’s backpack, a light moment that briefly lifts the mood amidst hardship. But the wild remains unforgiving, and a smoky haze signals a looming forest fire that forces them to push onward through the trees.

Away from the couple’s anxious vigil, Chinook’s senses again prove crucial as the two children navigate toward a clearing where a grizzly bear bursts from the undergrowth. The bear charges, and the family’s brave guardian steps between them, biting the bear’s paw to drive it back. The bear retreats, and the children, shaken but unharmed, are saved by Chinook’s steadfast courage. Back at the rescue camp, the forest fire’s threat has halted the search, but the bond among the parents grows stronger as they face the possibility that the children might not be found in time.

Eventually, the trio reaches a high plateau—an achievement that feels like salvation and a surrender to the dangers they’ve faced. The moment of triumph is tempered by a sobering risk: Zach edges too close to a precipice and slips, tumbling down a sheer drop. Hannah’s heart tightens as she pleads for him, insisting that Chinook go for help. Chinook races off into the woods, pursued by three wolves who had previously confronted him. The dramatic chase plays out with the pack closing in, only to pause at a dangerous gorge where the dog makes a daring leap to safety, holding off the wolves long enough for their parents to reach them.

Chinook’s daring run pays off when he returns to the overlook and leads Robert and Susan to Zach’s location. A dramatic rescue follows: the parents rig a rope and harness, attached to an ATV, to haul Zach up to safety while Hannah coordinates the effort from a distance. In a tense, hard-won sequence, the family is finally reunited—together again, against the odds—and the news they’d feared is tempered by a new reality: their divorce is called off, and they will return to being a single, united family.

In the end, the children’s perseverance and Chinook’s bravery author a quieter, more hopeful ending to a story born of loss and loneliness. They emerge from the wilderness with a renewed sense of belonging and a restored sense of family, proof that even in the harshest places, loyalty, courage, and love can guide a fractured family back toward each other.