Helen and Bill Thayer, accompanied by their part-wolf, mostly Husky dog, Charlie, set out to live among wild wolf packs — first in the Canadian Yukon and then in the Arctic. When they set up camp within 100 feet of a wolf den, they were greeted with apprehension. But they establish trust over time because the wolves accept Charlie as the alpha male of the newly arrived "pack." Readers travel with the Thayers as they learn about wolf family structure, view the intricacies of the hunt, the wolves’ finely honed survival skills, and playfulness.