In 1897 Buck, an intrepid shepherd dog, is kidnapped and shipped to the Klondike gold fields. There he must learn "the law of club and fang"--or die. Buck learns quickly how to survive: keeping warm in a frozen land, scenting perilous changes in the weather, and protecting himself against the lead sled dog, Spitz. But most important, he learns the song of the wolves, as plaintive and old as the breed itself.