Jack Burk of the Briny spent a year-and-a-half on the desolate arctic island, Princess Elizabeth Island (not to be confused with the existing island of the same name). Working with his partner, Scrappy Wallis, the pair gathered valuable radioactive quartz crystals. The day before they are ready to leave the island, Burk awakens to the shack on fire and Scrappy missing. He escapes the burning shack with his rifle, seeing Scrappy trudging through the snow.
Burk considers shooting Scrappy, but decides he can’t. He catches up to Wallis and discovers that the man has been injured by a gunshot. Scrappy goes to the camp while Burk tracks down the shooter.
He finds the shooter, Johnson, who was presumed dead after he’d disappeared. Burk defeats Johnson. Burk and Scrappy leave the island to sell their quartz.