Vicky receives a trip to the Antarctic for her birthday. She must first travel to a fictitious South American country. A lot of adventure and intrigue. It opens with Vicky alone on an iceberg and the reader follows along as to how she got there. There is a lot of moralizing about how humans treat the planet, each other, etc. Strong female lead seems like Meggie from a Wrinkle in Time just in different situations and with political intrigue.