China, 1967. Student Chen Zhen is sent to Inner Mongolia. Here, in the majestically rising, boundless grasslands, he is to teach the shepherds to read and write. But from the very first day, his passion lies with the primeval wilderness and the animal most feared and revered by the nomads: the wolf. Despite all warnings, Chen Zhen secretly observes the wolf packs' furious raids. He witnesses primal hunting scenes and is deeply moved by the majesty emanating from this terrifyingly beautiful and equally deadly animal. When the order arrives from Beijing to eliminate the wolves as a danger to livestock and humans and to kill all wolf pups, Chen Zhen rescues a young wolf and raises it. A deep friendship develops between the young man and the little animal, but the wolf pack does not forget what has been taken from them. As more and more farmers encroach upon the steppe, the wolves have chosen a new target: human settlements. In the deep chasm between man and nature, not only the friendship between Chen Zhen and the wild animal, but also the life of the last wolf is at stake.