The ship, the Endurance, has been slowly crushed by the ice that has held it fast for over 11 months; and the crew, who have fought so hard to keep her intact, are forced to abandon ship. As they offload their supplies, it feels like The End of the World, as they come to terms with the reality of living without shelter on an ice pack drifting in the Southern Ocean. As the masthead slowly disappears under the ice, each man says goodbye to the ship that has kept them alive so far (Through the Night). While the crew sleep, Shackleton feels the weight of responsibility for their 28 lives (What Kind of Man) and remembers the spark that started it all.

At the Royal Geographical Society in London, several years earlier, Shackleton and his wife, Lady Emily Shackleton, greet the high society guests and benefactors (The Spirit of the Age). Shackleton raises money to fund the expedition, under the shadow of a looming war, inspiring them with his vision (Shackleton’s Lecture) whilst trying to keep a distance between his wife and his lover, Rosa Lynd.

Back on the ice, the crew perform their daily duties and reflect (Diary Entries) under the command of the captain, Frank Worsley, and the second in command, Frank Wild. Shackleton decides that they must try to get to land and prepares them for their journey (Adventurer’s Hymn). The crew pack up and begin The March West. Exhausted and rebellious, Chippy McNeish refuses to go any further. Shackleton pushes ahead regardless, until the crew reach the limits of their physical endurance, when he finally decides to set up camp.

Back in pre-expedition London, Shackleton conducts a rather eccentric interview process in order to assemble his crew. This is set against the backdrop of Rosa leading a rousing music hall chorus at the Holborn Empire (Let’s Go Down to Piccadilly)

On the ice once again, the crew console themselves with memories of home (A Lonely Christmas Carol). Suddenly the floe starts to disintegrate, and the crew are forced into their three boats. In desperate need of a stable floe to tether to overnight, McCarthy, Wild and Blackborrow tentatively step onto the ice, but Blackborrow falls into the freezing water. Following his rescue, they drift on the boats into the dangerous open waters, until land is finally spotted in the distance.

As London readies itself for war, the Endurance is loaded and the expedition’s benefactors – Dame Stancomb Wills, Caird & Docker – come to the dockside to see Shackleton off (By Endurance We Conquer). Rosa sends a parting gift to her lover, which Emily spots in her husband’s hands. Torn between her own emotions and her deep understanding of her husband’s need for adventure, she says her goodbyes (When You Return). Shackleton wonders whether the crew should offer their services to the war effort, but a special dispensation arrives from the Admiralty, and the expedition departs.

In the Antarctic, the stranded crew finally arrive on Elephant Island and take their first steps on solid land in well over a year (Diary Entries – Part 3). Their only hope is to send a small crew 800 miles across the perilous Southern Ocean to South Georgia, in order to mount a rescue mission. Shackleton, Crean, McNeish, McCarthy, Vincent & Worsley prepare themselves for the journey (To Whom it May Concern). Meanwhile, in London, the ladies fear the worst, as another year has passed without word from the expedition. As the war rages on, and more men leave to fight, both groups sing about The Ones You Leave Behind.

Years later, from the comfort of a lecture hall, a local bar and a merchant ship, Worsley, Crean & McNeish look back on their perilous 16-day Journey of the Caird, across 800 miles of the roughest seas in the world to South Georgia.

Back in London, whilst upper-class gentlemen passively comment on the action from the comfort of their armchairs (Armchair Adventurers), Dame Stancomb-Wills leads the ladies in efforts to support the war, and Emily puts on a brave face in the absence of any news from Shackleton (A Picture of Me). 

On Elephant Island, Wild tries to keeps the moral of the men high (The Daily Report & The Mid-Winter Concert) despite time passing and there still being no sign of rescue. He questions whether he was the right man to be left as Second In Command, shouldering the responsibility in Shackleton’s absence. 

Half dead, and severely dehydrated after the journey of the Caird, Shackleton’s crew have landed on the wrong side of South Georgia, with a mountain range still standing between them and salvation. Leaving McCarthy in charge, Shackleton sets off with Worsley and Crean to cross to the Whaling Station, urged on by the voices of their distant comrades (One Step Closer to Home). 

News finally reaches Emily that Shackleton is alive. Moved with relief she shares the news with Rosa, whilst Shackleton reflects on his journey to the crew of the Whaling Station (Aurora Australis).

After months of searching the horizon for nothing, a rescue ship is finally spotted by the men on Elephant Island, and the disparate members of the crew are finally reunited (Adventurer’s Hymn – Reprise). They leave Elephant Island to take the final steps towards home (One Step Closer to Home – Reprise).

Returning to London, the crew are met by their loved ones and Reporters (By Endurance We Conquer – Reprise), and pledge their assistance to the ongoing war effort. Despite all they have endured, the crew we have grown to know gradually become faceless soldiers, lost to the war (The Ones You Leave Behind – Reprise). Having claimed to be done with his travels, Shackleton is finally left alone, but he reveals that his longing for adventure is as strong as ever (What Kind of Man – Reprise).