Melding poetic cinematography, rare archival footage and narration from elders, "Born of the Ice" tells a layered story of arctic survival that is both historic and modern. It is the story of Tikigaq, located at the farthest northwest point of North America, and of the Inupiat people, who hunt bowhead whales as part of their subsistence living and spiritual practice. The whale means everything in Tikigaq – its symbolic and physical presence woven into every aspect of village life.