The ice goes out

In an Alaskan settlement a spring ritual involves betting on the precise moment a river ice breaks, and two prospectors plot to rob the merchant holding the pooled entries to finance their wagers. The safe is blown and a marshal leads a light posse across the freezing river to follow the fleeing thieves, but the breakup rushes in, turning the pursuit into a hazardous flight over shifting cakes and choked gorges. The narrative follows the chase and the struggle against the flood and ice jams, emphasizing the gamble of human schemes against inscrutable, powerful natural forces.