I completely sympathize with you re: plotting. When I'm pushing around story ideas I often create these wonderful characters and even some snappy scenes (dialog is still an issue for me); often, however, they have nothing to do. Lovely people, beautiful scenery, quite content where they are. Grr.

The results of a recent exercise I gave to myself, however, have been quite different. I now have a plot skeleton and am in search of a character to put into it. I'm quite excited to see what Fred (the word for back brain I borrowed from Damon Knight) comes up with for a protagonist.

I don't feel qualified to give you advice and so can only offer encouragement. I'm sure you'll find a way through this and write something you love and are proud of. If it isn't your Ice Palace novel, it'll be something else. Keep at it!