Wilkins was originally seconded to Stefansson's Arctic Expedition for a year as its official photographer but circumstances forced him to stay in the Arctic for three years. He spent much of those extra two years in discussion with Stefansson, becoming his life-long friend. "The Making of an Explorer" describes Wilkins' successful expedition to Banks Island in 1914 in search of Stefansson and his subsequent relationship with Stefansson, his significant role and contribution as second-in-command of Stefansson's polar explorations over the next two years, his remarkable collection of films and photographs of the little-known Copper Eskimos in the Central Arctic, and his large but virtually unknown original collection of birds and mammals from Banks Island for the National Museum of Canada.