Henry wars paces outside the fox and hounds pub. It's early in the evening march. Two thousand four. And the london air is beginning to chill but henry hardly notices. He's nervous inside to people are waiting for him. People who can change his fate he pulls out an old worn copy of ernest shackleton's buck on his attempt. At the south pole he flips to a passage. He's read many the reason for shackleton's cuesta verde venture to explore parts unknown. He reads it quietly to himself. Men go out into the void spaces of the world for various reasons some for the love of adventure. Some for scientific knowledge and others are drawn away from the trodden paths by the lure of little voices. The mysterious fascination of the unknown. Those little voices called to henry the first time he saw the photographs. Shackleton's endurance book. Taken by the great frank hurley. He was mesmerized by the black and white image of what looked like a ghost. Ship in the middle of no-man's see surrounded by towering ice. since then henry's been obsessed with ernest shackleton who would dare to try and conquer the south pole and failing bat. Plan an even bigger mission. What is a man like that. Made of henry has been in the british army most of his life. He's even had a few close calls but he's never been tested by anything like antarctica if he had the chance to traverse the great continent could he be as decisive. Could he be as optimistic in the face of danger with any luck. He'll be offered that chance today. He peers through the foggy pub window and see granddaughter sitting at a table. No more time to waste. He enters the pub and walks past the wood-paneled bar to round top or two people are waiting. Alexandra it's so nice to see you again. Oh please call me za`z. I'm glad you could come meet. We'll go we'll is a great grandnephew of my grandfather by marriage which makes us what will step cousins. We'll laughs and gets to his feet to shake henry's hand. He's stocky and short with a boxers. Built his round. Face is warm and inviting. i've told will all about you. Henry how you are related to the great frank. Worsley the endurance captain and that you know almost as much about my grandfather as i do i must say sodas will. Henry met says when attending lectures on shackleton and at various auctions he told her how much admired shackleton and how he dreamed of visiting the antarctic when henry sits down he and a will hit it off immediately. We'll dreamed about going to an article too. He wanted to follow and shackleton's footsteps to reach the south pole. Wills blue eyes twinkle as he tells henry about his plan the centennial shackleton's attempt at the south pole is just a few years away. I wanna recreate that mission with descendants from the nimrod expedition it will be a celebration but it's also unfinished family business. I wanna try and go the whole way. It's the opportunity. Henry's been looking for his entire life. The two men huddled together as will explain what they'll need. He wants to find to descendants to go with them to equal the number of men on the nimrod trap and they'll need money expeditions. Like these aren't cheap. But he has some ideas for fundraising and of course they'll need training. You can't just drop into the antarctic and trek eight hundred miles across the frozen tundra and fifty below temperature and expect to succeed. The trip may still be almost five years away but the sooner the better it's august third nineteen fourteen. Ernest shackleton sits on the verandah of the cliffside hotel staring down at his ship. Docked far below. How could everything right have gone so wrong and just two short days his ship. The endurance is more beautiful than ever thought was possible. It's made of solid oak in the region for fashioned by the best shipbuilders in all of norway. The owner fell on hard times. And shackleton got it for a steal originally. It was designed for luxury. Arctic hunting trips. There were passenger cabins a smoking room and a dining room. Of course he had all that ripped out when the ship got to london. He needed a room to store. Cargo equipment and supplies food for the men for six months would take a lot of space alone and he's got sixty-nine canadian sled dogs coming with them. Then there's the boats. He has foreign all to rowing putters and a larger whaling boat and a small motorboat to make fast trips to the shore. Frank worsley has. Captain drew the designs for that one himself. But it's the bow. That's the real prize. It has to plow through the heavy ice chunks and take them straight on. It's made of a single oak tree and shaped around the curves of the ship. The endurance sailed from london two days ago. Along with his twenty eight crewmembers. A crowd of hundreds saw them off. All of his men were grinning from ear to appear waving their hats. None of them had ever been a part of anything like this. The last great polar journey that can be made. It's enough to make a man sentimental. The only thing clouding the trip. Or rumors of war with germany eight at shackleton when they docked and south end and when they landed here in margate his gut told him to get off the ship and see what news he could find out picks up the paper. England will declare war this evening. British naval reserves mobilized. This means the entire trip is in jeopardy. His conscience tells him he can't leave now not what his country needs everyman and boat but he's to horn. He spent everything he had on this venture and mortgaged his future. He owes his financial backers vast sums of money money. He hoped to make back on his return. There's no guarantee that they will get this chance again. Not with this crew. These supplies he needs to make a decision with a heavy heart. He walks back along the dock to the endurance. The sun glints off her majestic black sides when he boards the ship. He asks frank wars worsley to call the men together. They're quiet they've heard the rumors to shackleton removes his hat. Gentlemen i need your approval. I would like to telegraph the admiralty. An offer up the endurance and the entire expedition to the government. I know you have put in hard work to get here but burns at war. What do.