Zak O'Brien is an animal trainer for the popular television series "Caesar and Romulus", which has been selected for a "Patsy" Award to be presented in Burbank, Californa. Zak, Caesar and Romulus board his Cherokee Arrow in Denver for the flight there, but en route at night over the Utah wastelands they encounter a sudden blizzard. Zak's radio fails, and then engine trouble ensues and he guides the craft down to a crash landing. All survive, but the plane is destroyed and now a struggle for survival begins.