It centres on Kuanana (Benjamin Kunuk), a man who returns from hunting to discover that much of his family has been killed and his wife and daughter have been kidnapped.

In an Inuit community, elders take note that four men, leader Kupak and followers Aulla, Tulimaaq and Timauti, are guilty of murder, lechery and not sharing food.

The elder, mortally wounded, tells Kuanana that men kidnapped Ailla and her daughter, and gives him a totem to summon a spirit guide, Kallulik, the loon.

While Ailla and her daughter resist their captors and rapists, and attempt to escape, Kupak and Aulla continue to hold them captive.

Feeling a low tone in his ear, Kupak takes the ailment as a bad omen and orders Tulimaaq to see if they are being followed.

Kunuk explained racism was not an intended theme of the film, though given the time setting, the Inuit would have some items received from white people, as there were trading posts then.

[2] Kunuk said he watched western films in the Igloolik community hall as a boy, and declared The Searchers star John Wayne "was our hero."

[7] Sixty local people were employed to build igloos, inform the crew on archaic Inuktitut words, make the costumes and prepare food.

[11] Writing for The Globe and Mail, Kate Taylor gave the film three stars, crediting Kunuk with combining "an archetypal tale of revenge with an almost documentary examination of pre-modern life in the Arctic."

"[13] In The National Post, Chris Knight awarded the film three stars, saying it illustrated Inuit customs and had comparable cinematography to The Searchers, classifying it as "a northern" in contrast to westerns.