In Copenhagen Mylius -Erichsen and Knud Rasmussen meet again and they decide to make an expedition to Greenland. The purpose of the expedition will be to visit the"new people", the Polar Eskimos in the far north of Greenland. Knud Rasmussen heard countless stories about the mysterious people in the far north, which so far have been visited by only a few explorers. It turns out, however, difficult to get permission to organize an expedition. Greenland is a closed country, and it requires special permission from the Danish government to go there. It is also prohibited anyone other than Royal Greenland Trade (KGH) to trade with the Greenlanders. In the end however, the difficulties are overcome and the necessary permits obtained.

Journalist, cand. phil. Ludvig Mylius -Erichsen is the formal leader of the expedition. Knud Rasmussen, schoolteacher (katetek/deacon) and Jørgen Brønlund, Knud Rasmussen's Greenlandic childhood comrade, participating as an interpreter. In addition, painter Count Harald Moltke enlisted in the expedition. Moltke in 1898 participated in an expedition to Disko Bay in 1898, and an expedition sent by the Danish Meteorological Institute to Iceland from 1899 to 1900 to study the northern lights.

In 1902, with the necessary funds scraped together, the expedition sets off from Copenhagen for Nuuk, where Brønlund joins the group. From here they travel north to winter in Rasmussen's birthplace Jakobshavn, where Knud Rasmussen takes up residence with Pastor Ostermann in the house where he was born 25 years earlier. During the winter they sail along the west coast in the women's boat. The Danes in Jakobshavn believe that the expedition will never get over the ridge"Major"; instead they should remain in the spring. The expedition spend Christmas in Greenland : the Christmas tree is a frame of branches on which are bound heather tufts of light on the branches, hymns, roast goose and rice pudding. Young Greenlanders go from house to house singing Christmas carols.

In February 1903 they leave Jakobshavn by dog sled bound for Upernavik accompanied by two Eskimos, Gaba and Elijah.

On March 1, the expedition starts from Upernavik. In front of them, they have 600 km of Melville Bay to the foothills of Cape York, located almost right up at Thule; the journey no Europeans have done before. They follow the coast, including because they will produce an accurate map of the coastline. Knud Rasmussen, who is the best running is in charge and has the difficult and important task to put the track in the ice, and the other must follow. He has built a giant slide, which he calls" Omnibus". Every day they run as far as dogs and humans orcs. Here loader the heavy luggage and travel a little canvas tent. After this, they return to the previous camp and getting the luggage, which could not be on the first shipment. When baggage is taken out, the camp, the Primus is turned on, and packed canned food heats : steak a la mode, ham brunkål or other goodies. Then they attach themselves in the sleeping bag, smoking a pipe or keep a journal. Moltke draw and paint in his sketchbooks to retain the impressions. It was April, and about fancy drinks. The sun is shining - and the temperature is about -30 degrees.

Along the way, Moltke ill, probably from exhaustion of the hardships. His outings will be split between the other sleds, while he himself being pulled on his own sled. Some stores abandoned in a depot on the ice, to be faster to reach Cape York. When they finally reach the huts at Cape York, these abandoned and sled tracks showing that residents have gone north. Now the expedition with a sick member and no provisioning for either dogs or humans. What should they do?

They decide to send Knud Rasmussen and Jørgen Brønlund off and follow the trail until they find people. Mylius -Erichsen remained with the convalescent Moltke and must then follow as soon as they are able. Before they leave, they plant the Danish flag in the snow and declares coast from Upernavik to Cape York for related Denmark. After a few days you get Knud Rasmussen and Jørgen Brønlund in the distance saw a small black spot. Despite hunger and fatigue sets the speed up, and soon they see a sleigh with two people, a man and a woman. The man who is wearing Blue Fox coat and bearskin pants, jump off the slide and jump for joy as he swings his long whip."We are visited by white people," he shouts repeatedly. [Inuit population migrated to Greenland in 1100-1200 century. At first they stayed at the northernmost stretch of coast at Thule area, but as the climate became colder, they moved further south, where they met the Norse.] Knud Rasmussen hears from Maisainguark that behind him are yet two friends, one of whom is sick. They rush to the Eskimo settlement, located a few hours drive away. Here are violent resurrection and the carriage being surrounded by cheering children and adults. Great piles of meat are laid for the hungry friends, who take care of the dishes. When they talk about the sick Moltke, locals immediately start to build an igloo for the group, while Knud Rasmussen with Maisainguark are going to pick up the two traveling companions, Moltke and Mylius -Erichsen.

The Eskimos had before seen people from the south when they sailed and docked with the whaling ships. For example, Robert Peary usually stayed at Cape York on his expeditions and traded with the Eskimos. But they have not previously seen people get over the ice, and Knud Rasmussen and his group are the first to establish a link between the Polar Eskimos and the part of Greenland, which has already been explored and colonized.

As soon as Knud Rasmussen was able, he and four Eskimos set off to pick up the luggage and supplies as they unloaded to the cries in the camp :" The great Knud coming! The great Knud coming!" And with him came bread, canned goods, tents and other necessities. When Knud sees Moltke, he gets tears in his eyes, and then he tells Moltke :" You were transformed from a young, healthy man to a dirty skeleton". But from that day it starts to go better for Moltke and after a few months, he is again able to work with pencil and brush.

Knud Rasmussen, who has a unique talent for fostering personal relationships, starts a long-lasting friendship with the Thule Eskimos. He sits for hours in the cottages among the elderly and listens fascinated to ancient legends and stories and fills his diaries. When Moltke is healthy enough he sits with and makes portraits of narrators. One of the old Eskimo says to Moltke, when he sees his extensive portrait collection: "I can not understand that you do not throw any paper away. When you get home, you may well be able to draw it up again. Once we have made a travel, so can we remember all that we have experienced and do not have to lug those piles with us. It weighs terribly on a sled."

As Christmas is approaching, they decide to begin their return despite the Eskimos' warnings. When they come to Melville Bay, it turns out that the Eskimos were right and they have to go back.

Christmas Eve they light candles for the friends and family who they have not seen in eighteen months.

Knud Rasmussen has a particularly good relationship with polar eskimo Osarkrark so well that he comes with Knud Rasmussen to Denmark. There he meets several wonders such as cars, trams and other" vehicles without dogs." All this he agrees, but on one point he retains his skepticism : he refuses to believe that you can" save words in bars". Knud Rasmussen asks him as telling a narrative that Knud never heard before, and he writes it down. Then he calls his brother Christian and ask him to read it written up. It convinces polar Eskimo.

In late January 1904 - when the Eskimos believe that it is now possible to pass Melville Bay - take the once off. They are a completely caravan of 11 people on 9 sleds, each with a team of 6-9 dogs. Supplies run out, but luckily manage to shoot a polar bear that dogs and humans live from.

At 12 the day breaks, up comes the sun - this is the first time in many months, they see the sun. After a few days they see another lovely sight : Dannebrog, which flies over Søren Nielsen's house. The joy of the reunion is great, not least because Søren Nielsen and his household had feared that the travelers had died. They spend three months with Søren Nielsen, before continuing south. At Jens Fleischer's they stay and await the ship. Moltke takes the ship back to Denmark, while Knud Rasmussen travels further south and to the east coast, where he heads home to Copenhagen.