From the era of wooden sailing ships and Europe's golden age of exploration, the story of famed British navigator Henry Hudson tells a classic tale of courage, ambition, and treachery on the high seas. As the leader of four Arctic voyages in 1607, 1608, 1609, and 1610, Hudson searched in vain for a navigable route through the polar ice that would open the way to the riches of Asia. In his obsession to succeed, he made reckless decisions that pushed his crew to the brink, with disastrous results. Hudson did not achieve his goal, but as a result of his skillful mapping of Hudson Bay and the Hudson River area, his name would live on as a prominent landmark in the geography and imagination of North America.