Despite her friends' misgivings, Jesse gives up everything and moves to Montana where she hopes to give her wolf the freedom and life he deserves. Jesse enlists a company of new friends, including an angry young Native American and an ex-LA cop, who learn to love and do their best to protect Jesse, Shadow and his orphaned, misfit pack.
Through her union with this cast of characters, Jesse is able to bond with the Ancients' reverence for Mother Earth and all the Creator's children, which leads to her own freedom as well.