1848, Alaska; a young Eskimo boy witnesses the birth of an ice whale, that he calls Siku. But when he guides whalers to a pod, all the whales are killed. For this, the boy receives a curse of banishment. Through the generations, this curse is handed down. Siku returns in reality and dreams, to haunt each descendant. The curse is finally broken when a daughter saves the whale, and he in turn saves her.