Winter can be cruel in the Arctic, and food quickly grows scarce for those who cannot hunt. In these difficult times, the grandmother of an orphaned boy wishes aloud for the qallupaluit--strange, monstrous creatures that live under the sea ice--to take her grandson away forever. The old woman soon regrets her hasty words when the little boy is snatched and carried away. After enlisting the help of her fellow villagers, the old woman learns that her grandson may be happier with the qallupaluit than he ever was with her.