Major John Ormsby, head of the Ormsby Road Building Company, accepts the most important and dangerous job of his life - a contract to build a road connecting the United States to Alaska, a military necessity after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Compelled by patriotic duty, the men of the company join the U.S. Engineer Corps and begin their 1600 mile journey north, cutting and blasting eight miles a day through dense trees and rock, knowing that if the Japanese invaded, the road would have to be ready. Pushing themselves and their equipment to the limit in the rough Canadian wilderness, the men must pull together to survive the brutal cold and natural disasters they encounter. To keep up morale, the crew entertain themselves with practical jokes, dreaming of warmer days, romantic affairs and an electric blanket. However, when Ormsby's sons begin to fight over a woman they both love, the bitter rivalry puts family, careers, lives and the whole operation at risk. Alaska Highway is a heart-felt and entertaining homage to the men who built the "Alcan Highway."
