In November 1910, the vessel Terra Nova left New Zealand carrying an international team of explorers led by Robert Falcon Scott, an Englishman determined to be the first man to reach the South Pole. Scott kept a detailed journal of his adventures until March 29, 1912, when he and the few remaining members of his team met their ends in a brutal blizzard. The daily progress of the expedition toward the pole is recorded in an immensely vivid and personal narrative, depicting the beauty of the Antarctic tundra, the harsh living conditions, and Scott's own desperation to beat rival explorers to the pole.

Even in his final hours, Scott continued to make entries of his observations in his journal, allowing the adventure he and his fellow explorers undertook to live on once discovered.