Jack London

The film opens with archival 1943 footage of the launch of the liberty ship named Jack London. This prologue frames the movie as a tribute to the writer-adventurer. The footage bookends the story, appearing again at the end.

In Oakland in 1890, a factory accident pushes the young writer to quit his job. He borrows money to buy a boat in which to illegally harvest oysters. This reckless start foreshadows a restless life of travel and risk.

The oyster venture quickly collapses when police impound the boat. One of London's partners is killed in the ensuing trouble. Left with no means, he must seek another way to survive and pursue opportunity.

London signs on as an able seaman for a five-month voyage to the Bering Sea. During the voyage he begins to write, inspired by the people and events around him. The journey marks the birth of his lifelong habit of turning experience into prose.

A brief stay at a university proves frustrating as his stories are dismissed as raw. London defends them as observed occurrences rather than fiction. The setback drives him toward rugged frontiers where he can find material.

He moves to the Yukon to seek new opportunities and to write. There he crafts a story about a bar singer, testing the edge of his prose. The harsh winters and isolation push him toward deeper storytelling.

Snowed in for months, he works on a longer tale that becomes Call of the Wild. The manuscript reflects his fascination with nature, survival, and the American frontier. A publisher soon takes an interest and sets the stage for a major career.

Call of the Wild is sold to a publisher who compares him to Rudyard Kipling. The publisher also introduces him to Charmian Kittredge, a key figure in his life. This connection helps skyrocket London's literary profile.

The publisher's introduction brings Charmian Kittredge into his orbit. Their relationship becomes a central thread as London's career takes off. By the turn of the century, he is a rising war correspondent and novelist.

London is asked by a newspaper to cover the Boer War. On arrival at Plymouth, the war has already ended, leaving him to report on the aftermath. He returns to Charmian to pick up where they left off.

Another foreign assignment takes him to Japan, where he is briefed on the start of the Russo-Japanese War. He witnesses political and military tensions that underscore Japan's ambitions. The work offers him dramatic, scoop-worthy material.

In Korea, an army captain reveals Japan's long-range plan to sack Manchuria and Mongolia. London's coverage of the taking of the Yalu River proves to be a journalistic scoop. These reports cement his reputation as a fearless foreign correspondent.

London is arrested on charges of spying for Russia. In a brutal Japanese prison, he witnesses the murder of fellow inmates. The experience tests his resolve and becomes material for his later writings.

He is freed after intervention by the White House. Back in the US, he tries to publish articles attesting to a coming threat from Japan. Despite the urgency of his warnings, publishers are wary and refuse many of his pieces.