The title of the film's French version is Vers le Nord.In 1943, Alaska and Canada's north has become of strategic importance when Japanese forces invade and occupy the Aleutian Islands.

The major obstacles to overcome for troops and war material to reach Alaska are the daunting distances and harsh environment.

Canada's role was to construct airfields alongside the military highway and send ship convoys to supply the various outposts of the northwest, while Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) patrol bombers and lookouts keep a constant vigil.

The Northwest Staging Route built by the Canadians was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations in Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon.

At the threshold of a new age, Canada's north holds great promise, with farmland, forests, mineral deposits and the discovery of oil fields.

Producer and director James Beveridge had previously used footage of the building of the Alaska Highway in his NFB documentary Pincers on Japan (1941).