The River

The account of two college buddies whose friendship is put to the test by violence, white water rapids, and fire while on a wilderness canoe journey

Since freshmen orientation, Wynn and Jack have been close friends thanks to their love of the outdoors, reading, and fishing. With his feet in the water, Wynn, a child from Vermont, is happiest. He is a gentle giant. Jack is more tough since he grew up on a Colorado ranch where cooking over a fire and sleeping beneath the stars came naturally to him.

They look forward to lengthy days of leisurely paddling and collecting blueberries, as well as nights spent stargazing and reading paperback Westerns, as they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada. Nevertheless, the expedition takes on an unanticipated urgency when a wildfire spreads throughout the forest.

They decide to warn the couple about the fire after overhearing an argument between a man and a woman on the foggy riverside, but they find nothing and nobody. However, a man may be seen kayaking alone on the river the next day. Is the man they heard this? And where's the woman, if he is?