This novel follows Bob Duke, a struggling New York poet and consultant who undergoes a terrifying supernatural metamorphosis into a wolf. The story traces his initial psychological distress and physical transformation in an Atlanta hotel, leading to a desperate flight from law enforcement and animal control. While his wife, Cindy, and son, Kevin, navigate their financial ruin and search for him with the help of a Native American mystic, Bob adapts to his new predatory instincts. He eventually migrates to the Canadian wilderness, where he must choose between his lingering human identity and his new life within a wolf pack. Ultimately, the narrative explores the tension between civilized society and the primal, "wild" world as Bob assumes his role as a protector of a new lupine family.