Aleksandras Girnius had a dream of a new life in a new land. A Russianspeaking Lithuanian, he hopes to build a new life serving in the Canadian Army in World War II. Now known as Alex Greenus, he is trained in tank warfare. Alex is posted to Murmansk in the Arctic Circle, where he and his colleagues train Russians to handle the tanks shipped on the notorious Murmansk Run.
Alex struggles to find his way in this new world, but when he meets Alisa Volgymko, a Russian officer who is assigned to the same training unit, he finds comfort in her arms and her bed. He calls her his "Arctic Connection," but when the training mission ends, they part.
Years later, he learns that Alisa left with more than just memories-she was pregnant with their son, Ivor. Alex is living in Quebec and practicing as a doctor when he and Alisa rekindle their romance; a family is born-only to be torn apart when Alisa decides to return to Russia.
Ivor, a musician, writer, and student, returns to Lithuania to work on his thesis on the work of Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis, a unique Lithuanian composer and artist. Ivor follows his parents' path of service in the Arctic, where he serves as an Anglican minister. His father now considers Ivor to be his other "Arctic Connection."
But just as things seem to be falling in place, Ivor's research uncovers a perplexing family mystery ...