A humourous and revealing tale of a group of eight women from verying walks of life, who have volunteered for a fugged survival course at a tough mountain school in the English lakes.

Perhaps the most complex is wise cracking Fran (Julie Waters) a single girl of about thirty, whose incessant cheerfulness often hides a sad loneliness. For a week, thrown together in dormitory living, they march, climb, swim and canoe. Often wet, cold, tired and hungry, despondent too. And sometimes very scared. They learn slowly and painfully more from each other about courage, hope and fear than they could in a lifetime of humdrum existence.

The final test is a gruelling night spent under canvas in the most miserable of conditions. They split into two groups and when the first arrives back at base, there is no news of Fran and the others...