Buck recognised the wild brother. He was whining softly, and they touched noses. A second wolf, old and battle-scarred, came forward and sniffed noses with him; he sat down, pointed his nose at the moon, and broke out in a long wolf howl. Buck, too, sat down and howled.
Buck, a big, powerful dog, is kidnapped from his California home and sold as a sled dog in the Arctic. In his new environment, he must learn quickly how to deal with man’s club and dog’s fang, or he will not be able to survive. How will Buck not only survives, but becomes a leader of dogs, and eventually a a leader of wolves. He is transformed by two almost opposite forces. His love for John Thornton who saved his life, and the memories that awaken within him of the ways of his ancestors, both dogs and wolves.