In 1850-1855, Richard Collinson captained the HMS Enterprise on a voyage to the Arctic in search of the missing Franklin expedition. Under Collinson's command, the Enterprise was instructed to search for, and hopefully rescue, the Franklin expedition by approaching the Northwest Passage from the west, Franklin having entered from the east. Barr tells the story of that most unusual journey, during which the crew spent three winters frozen into the the arctic ice. Relations between Collinson and many of his officers were so poor that three of them spent most of the voyage under arrest. This tale is accompanied by a selection of vivid paintings by the ship's assistant surgeon, Edward Adams. Historians and those with a penchant for Arctic history will find themselves immersed in this dramatic voyage.