A troop of Boy Scouts, led by their Scout-Master, establishes a summer camp deep in the Adirondack wilderness to act as pathfinders for a newly acquired tract of land, mapping streams, cataloging wildlife and testing routes. The narrative follows their daily camp work and outdoor training interwoven with episodic dangers and adventures: encounters with wild animals and a veteran hunter, a plotted conspiracy, cave entrapment, a broken trestle and a threatened train, duels and narrow escapes. Practical scouting skills, teamwork, quick thinking and resourcefulness drive the boys’ efforts to explore, protect and guide through the backwoods.