Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's decide to ride from London to New York - across Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan to the Bering Strait. Before beginning  they must firstly complete fitness training then select their choice of  BMW bikes for the trip, do first aid training, of course learn some Russian, and finally but importantly have the relevant injections.

They then do some more training in which Ewan manages to falls off his heavy bike a lot, which test's him mentally at one point. Lastly Ewan and Charley visit the family. Ewan's mum is philosophical, so is his dad, whilst Charley's young daughters are emotional, dealing with Charley's planned three-and-a-half-month absence.