 The movie takes place in Alaska, 1913, with Leonard Sopala and his wife Constance. Sopala is a dog breeder and a musher. They welcome the birth of a Siberian Husky. The dog seems pretty troublesome as it causes strength to Sopala's daily routine. Sopala's tried several times to dispose of the dog, but his plans always fail. Constance, his wife, always takes the dog's side and convinces Sopala to give the dog a chance. One day, the dog refuses to be bound and forces his way into the sled. Sopala notices the leadership spirit the dog possesses and decides to give him a chance. He names the dog Togo. He trains Togo properly as they become the new champions in the sweepstakes in the village. Sopala thanks his wife for not allowing him to sell the dog. After some years, a diphtheria outbreak among the children happens in Nome and the mayor and other officials, including Sopala, discuss on how they can get the anti-toxin for the affected children. They discover that air delivery isn't possible due to the harshness of the weather and they decide to use Sopala's sled dogs. Sopala is later convinced by the doctor who tells him how the children are in pain. He gets home and begins preparing his tools. Constance notices this unusual behavior and she's convinced that he has decided to go on his dangerous journey. Constance begs her husband not to take Togo along because he's already old and weary for such a long distance. But Sopala tells her that he might not survive if Togo isn't there to lead the sled dogs. The following day, they set out on the journey. They encounter their first challenge and they're saved by Togo but he hurts his leg in the process. They decide to rest before continuing on their journey. They meet a doctor, Tiktolik, who warns Sopala about Togo's health. They continue on their journey through a shortcut which the other contestants also take. Through the shortcut, they encounter a dangerous situation but with the quick wits of Togo and Sopala, they were able to overcome them. They reach another outpost where a woman tries to warn him about Togo's health but there was a language barrier. They rest for a bit and the next day they both set out. The heavy snow serves as a barrier so they pass the serum to another musher who delivers it and they are considered to be the heroes. The name of the musher is Gunner and his lead dog was Balto. When Togo and Sopala finally arrive at Alaska, they're both celebrated. And Sopala tells Constance about the deteriorating health of Togo that she initially feared. Sally, a little girl, also asks about Togo's health which seems to upset Sopala. In 1929, Togo finally dies. He celebrated in Alaska as the true hero while Balto's statue was erected in New York. Togo was the sole puppy in his litter when he was born. He was smaller than the typical dog and he suffered from a severe ailment that caused his throat to expand. Togo resisted being confined and was difficult and mischievous. He once made an attempt to jump a 7 foot fence but got caught on the wiring. He was unruly around harness lead dogs just like he is in the movie. After Sopala tried to give him away to a woman who wanted to keep him as a pet, Togo actually escaped by jumping through a window pane. The real life Sopala was astonished by the harness's results. Sopala finally grasped what Togo had wanted all these months to be a member of the squad. As the 8 month old Togo transitioned from annoying to serious, Togo covered 75 miles on this first day, a feat unheard of for a young dog. He was dubbed a natural born leader and an infant prodigy by Sopala. The so-called Sopala Siberian dog named Diesel, who plays the adult Togo in the film, is actually Togo's great-grandson, 14 generations away, according to the film's director. Diesel is not only linked to Togo, but his coloration also makes him look a lot like Togo. Upon returning from a run at the beginning of the movie, Sopala discovers that a dip theory outbreak has already claimed the lives of 5 children. The Noemnuggets publisher and mayor, George Maynard, as well as a town's physician, Curtis Welch, gather the town's influential men at a saloon. Welch adds that the serum they need for the dip theory outbreak has been found at the Fairbanks Railroad Hospital, more than 500 miles away, and that it might be loaded on a train to Nanana during the logistics portion of the meeting, which was still 483 miles away. Regardless of the weather, Maynard is in favor of having the dip theory antitoxin flown in. The meeting's second part consists of overt pressure being used on Sopala to travel to Nanana to get the serum. Sopala is initially unconvinced, but after looking through the town's hospital windows and observing youngsters sneezing and coughing, he becomes persuaded that he must go, despite his wife's objections. Things went a little differently in reality. At a similar meeting, Welch and Maynard were present, but Sopala was not and played a minimal role in the decision-making process. The Cruelest Miles reports that he was referred to as the fastest musher in Alaska and went by the nickname King of the Trail, suggesting that his fame may have been much larger than what the film implied. The idea to utilize two dock teams going from Nanana and Nome to meet at the halfway point in the Lotto came from Mark Summers, Sopala's manager at the Hamming Patalty and Goldfields Company. Summers is the one who also suggested Sopala go on the run. The ad hoc health board believed that Nome's fate was in Sopala's hands, while Constance first rejects her husband's involvement in the film, claiming that the town should choose someone with more stake in the dip theory outbreak. In reality, the Sopalas did have a greater stake. Their daughter, Sigrid, was 8 years old. In the movie, Sopala travels to Nanana as a blizzard is raging. The winds were actually in a unique state of calm, and Sopala had cheering supporters as he set off for a Nalado. Halfway to Nome, but still a six-day trek covering a distance of 630 miles. Sopala traveled a total of 261 miles, 170 miles to pick up the serum, and 91 miles with the serum, which is still a significant distance, as it was demonstrated in the film when more teams were joined to the relay mid-run. The fabricated elements are not an exaggeration of the risks involved, despite the alterations in the Disney adaptation of the tale, such as the blizzard at the start. According to the writers of The Cruelest Miles, the trail between Nalado and Nome was one of Alaska's most dangerous. With the majority of it following, the windswept, blizzard-brown coasts of the Norton Sound, also known to Alaskans as the Ice Factory. The 42-mile detour across the sound was the most hazardous section of this trail. The less dangerous option was twice as far. Aside from the chance of getting caught in a storm or having a dog hurt by stepping on a piece of ice, it was also probable that the Norton Sound's ice may break up and carry the crew out to sea. Others had also experienced it. The second time the crew crosses the Norton Sound as they head back into Nome with the serum is one of the film's most harrowing scenes. When Sopala and his team discover themselves stranded on an ice flow, cut off from land by a short but treacherous stretch of water, they're in the middle of crossing the sound. Togo is thrown ashore by Sopala and somehow the dog manages to tether the flow near enough to the shore for the rest of the squad to follow. This is quite similar to what Sopala claimed actually occurred, albeit not on this particular run but on an earlier journey. Considerably, though the movie's suspense is more than sufficient, Sopala described an even greater danger. The tow line that connected Togo and the rest of the crew on the flow, according to Sopala's testimony, which is detailed in the crew's smiles, broke and the other end of the rope dropped into the lake. Togo Doven climbed out, wrapped the rope around himself and began to pull. In the film, Leonard Sopala is portrayed as a stern, hardworking Norwegian whose outlook contrasts sharply with that of his sentimental Belgian wife. However, the crew's smiles' description implies greater whimsy. Sopala, who was described as cheerful and small, was also viewed as a bit of a show-off, known to flip double back hand springs for laughs and land with a somersault. As depicted in the film, Scotty Allen, a famed musher, was defeated by Sopala in a race. This led to the start of Sopala's own fame. One competitor called his communication with dogs hypnotism or unnatural control. Also emphasized was the mutual confidence between Sopala and Togo. The musher sometimes relied on Togo's intuition and sense of smell when his own vision failed him. This was because he was Sopala's favorite dog. In the film, Balto makes a brief appearance. He is the lead canine for Gunnar's team. Gunnar gets the lion's share of credit because he is the one who really brings a serum to gnome. This largely describes what occurred, though some specifics have been changed. This explains the disproportionate amount of fame that the real-life Balto has attained. In addition to media attention, there are also movie deals, a tour and a statue. All of this is not to suggest that Balto didn't deserve the credit. Gunnar's crew had to drive through a blinding storm and the cruelest miles claimed that Balto's sense of touch and smell were what kept the squad on trail. Furthermore, despite the fact that Sopala appeared unperturbed on his own behalf, as he had applauded Gunnar, it was said that he was furious because Togo had not been given the credit he deserved. Sopala reportedly wrote, I hope I shall never be the man to take away credit from any dog or driver who participated in that run, according to the cruelest miles. We all tried our hardest, but when the nation became excited about the serum run driver, I was offended by Balto's statue, since, if any dog deserves special treatment, it was Togo. The film omits a number of specifics regarding Togo's passing. By January 1927, Sopala was commuting between Maine and Alaska and had established a kennel in Poland Springs, Maine, with a socialite by the name of Elizabeth Ricker. In March 1927, he decided to leave Togo behind in Maine because he thought the trip would be too much for the old dog. Although Togo passed away on a Thursday in December, as depicted in the film, Sopala really decided to put Togo to sleep due to Togo's joint pain and partial eyesight. Sopala lived to be 89 years old.