Jill Homer, a newspaper editor in the isolated, soggy hamlet of Juneau, Alaska, has an outlandish ambition: Racing a mountain bike 2,740 miles from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide. Her preparation plans are equally ambitious: A 350-mile winter bicycle race on Alaska's frozen Iditarod Trail, followed by two months of focused training during a summer sojourn with her boyfriend in the Utah desert.

But in the tradition of best-laid plans, Jill's dream begins to unravel the minute she sets it in motion. Less than 25 miles into the Iditarod Trail Invitational, Jill breaks through lake ice and suffers serious frostbite on her foot that forces her to drop out of the race. While she's laid up on crutches and unable to train, Jill's employer coerces her into taking a job that may prevent her from even starting the 2009 Tour Divide. Then, just two days before they planned to embark on their sojourn, Jill's boyfriend ends their eight-year-relationship. This final...