Captain Oates, hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for nearly a century. But not in Sym’s head. In there, he is her constant companion, her soul mate, her advisor. It is as if he walked out of the Polar blizzard and into her mind. In fact, if it were not for him, life might be as bleak a place as the Antarctic wilderness.

Then a short family expedition makes her ask the question she has long been avoiding: is it madness to stake your happiness on someone or something that isn’t there?