He observes the deferential behavior of other wolves in the den, and determines that George and Angeline are leaders of their pack. With his own food supply nearly exhausted and his tent overrun with rodents, Tyler decides to emulate the wolves.

Despite the absence of caribou and other game, the wolves appear to thrive on a diet of mice. He also discovers George’s mate, which he names “Angeline,” and their three cubs. With the spring thaw underway, Tyler makes camp near a wolf’s den, and observes the behavior of a white wolf he names “George.” Tyler establishes boundaries with the animal by marking his territory with urine. While exploring his new environment, Tyler falls into a frozen lake and saves himself by puncturing the ice on the surface with the barrel of his rifle. Later, an elderly Inuit named Ootek finds Tyler unconscious in the snow, and transports him and his supplies to a thatched hut, then continues on his journey. He requests help from a passing dogsled driver, who ignores him. Tyler quickly discovers that many of his supplies, such as government paperwork, are useless, but he is able to construct a shelter from wooden crates. The harrowing flight concludes with Tyler standing alone on the frozen landscape as Rosie’s plane disappears in the distance.

Many of Tyler’s supplies are left behind because they weigh down the aircraft, although the biologist manages to sneak aboard twenty-four cases of beer. He arrives at a small town in the Yukon Territory and hires airplane pilot, gambler, and real estate tycoon “Rosie” Little to fly him 300 miles into the wilderness. Tyler Powell, a Canadian biologist, is assigned by his government to the “Lupine Project” to determine whether wolves are responsible for the depletion of the caribou population in the Arctic region.

Never cry wolf mowat