In 1911-1912, Robert Falcon Scott of Britain plans to penetrate Antarctica and be the first to reach the South Pole. Unbeknownst to him, Roald Amundsen of Norway, his original plan to conquer the North Pole thwarted by Cook and Peary, decides to race Scott to the South Pole in the Antarctic summer of 1911-2. Scott is portrayed here as an anti-hero - petty, poorly judging of men, animals, and conditions, and too proud of his Christian heritage to allow suffering of animals even when necessary. Upon hearing of Amundsen's challenge, Scott is reckless and makes ill-advised decisions. His Siberian ponies and motor sledges give out, and he and his men must carry the heavy sledges themselves to the Pole and all the way back to base. Meanwhile, the seasoned polar campaigners, the Norwegians, use dog power to make it the Pole more than a month before Scott's weary team. Amundsen returns safely to his base, but Scott's demoralized team is plagued by bad weather and mishaps of their own making...
