45 Days: A Prequel to Wings in the Wind: The Armistice Day Storm of 1940

Nic Steffes loves to hunt and fish the Mississippi River bottoms around Winona, Minnesota But 1937 is a hard time for he and his young family. He is making just enough money at his small garage to keep food on their table. When his friend and longtime hunting partner Schmitty proposes that they pull their traps outs of the garage and go trapping for the entire 45 day trapping season, Nic is hesitant. Schmitty has been out of work for quite some time, and his financial situation has become dire. The two friends set out on an adventure into the Trempealeau River bottoms with the hopes that Nic's two teenage sons can man the garage back in Winona, and that they can trap enough muskrat and mink to give them a windfall. Yet even in the vast river bottoms, it takes more than cold and ice to stop two friends from a hail Mary attempt to keep their families fed.