Juggling Fire

Rachel's idyllic existence with her family in the remote mountain passes of northern Yukon was shattered by her father's depression, the family's relocation to "town" and her father's subsequent disappearance. Obsessed with understanding why her father never returned, Rachel hikes with her dog across mountain passes and along valleys to her childhood home. As she walks, she distracts herself from her anxiety by reinventing fairy tales remembered from her childhood. As the days pass, the imaginary quest begins to echo her own journey as she confronts danger, faces loneliness and unearths the truth about her father. The bear stands on back legs and snuffles his snout in our direction. Such an unusual hide would be worth a fortune. No one could blame me for shooting. It's a level playing field here: The bear's been stalking us. He's injured my dog. He's kept me awake at night. Now suddenly it's clear. The forest about me is absolutely still. I shoot. Rachel's idyllic existence with her family in the remote mountains of northern Yukon was shattered by her father's depression, the family's relocation to "town" and her father's subsequent disappearance. Obsessed with the need to understand why her father never returned, Rachel hikes with her dog across mountain passes and along valleys to her childhood home. As she walks, she distracts herself from her anxiety by reinventing beloved fairy tales and reliving childhood memories. As the days pass and her quest leads her deeper into the wilderness, she must confront danger and endure loneliness and despair before she can unearth the truth about her father. Sixteen year old Rachel embarks on a solo quest to find her father, who disappeared years ago in the Yukon wilderness.