Allashua, a little girl of about 11, lives with her family in a modern day Arctic town. She goes with her family on a fishing trip ...out on the land...

As soon as they arrive, her parents begin to unpack, but Allashua is so impatient to go fishing that they allow her to go ahead, as long as she goes fishing in the lake, and not in the sea. She promises them that she will not go near the dangerous cracks in the sea ice.

...But Allashua does not keep her promise. She goes to the sea and fishes in one of the cracks in the ice.

Her parents have told her about the mythical Qallupilluit, female monsters who grab children who go too near the sea ice without their parents.

She does not believe in them until suddenly the Qallupilluit appear, and drag her down beneath the ice. In desperation, Allashua promises that if the Qallupilluit let her go, she will come back and bring them all her brothers and sisters. The Qallupilluit agree and let her go.

When Allashua’s parents hear what has happened, they don’t scold. They insist that she must keep her promise, but the mother has a plan. She invites the greedy Qallupilluit to a goodbye party for her children.

While the Qallupilluit are busy at the party, Allashua takes her brothers and sister to the sea ice, but of course, the Qallupilluit are not there.

Allashua has kept her promise, and the children are safe.