The unforgiving blizzard swept through the remote Alaskan wilderness, leaving a stranded convoy of travelers seeking refuge in an abandoned lodge. Among them was Ryan, a 25-year-old wildlife photographer, and Elena, a 23-year-old environmental researcher. Neither had planned to cross paths, but fate had other ideas.

Ryan, on a mission to capture the elusive snow leopards, had ventured deep into the mountains alone. Elena, working with a research team studying climate change, had been documenting the melting glaciers nearby. When the sudden snowstorm hit, both were caught off guard, their teams separated and left scattered across the...