After the icecaps had melted the climate improved and trees colonised the tundra to form vast forests which covered most of Britain. It was in these wild woods that the wolf lived his life and evolved to become a creature with a spoken language and a culture of his own. The events of this story take place mostly in the river valley of Tannon in the south of Britain, in what is now Hampshire. Although the wolf pack lived far from man, it was man's expansionism which altered the wolf's fundamental way of life. The story begins with alpha wolf Talon's oppression of the wolves living in Tannon Valley and Swift's dissatisfaction with life there. Swift decides to organise resistance to Talon's regime. He reluctantly begins an adventure by making a journey north to unlock the power of the spirits. Before he leaves he meets Moon and falls in love. An extra terrestrial power struggle begins between Earthstar, spirit of the oak, and Havnar spirit of the yew, culminating in a battle for supremacy between divine and earthly forces in Tannon Valley.