David Wild is left all alone. Only 14, he must learn to survive the unforgiving conditions of the Oregon Territory just after the Civil War. Armed with his well-worn Winchester rifle and guided by the life lessons of his father. David survives by hunting for his meals. He shelters from the harsh elements in a tiny hunting cabin nestled in a valley west of Mt. Hood where fur trappers once plied their trade.

David's world is fraught with danger. There are menacing storms, relentless floods, and a forest filled with lethal predators. David has survived them all, but now something much more ominous is after him — the giant manhunting Grizzly Bear, Black Storm. He knows that alone, he has no chance.

Remembering all his father taught him, David must decide who he can trust: the Native American Coquille whom the settlers fear, his father's longtime friend, Doc Harris, or the snarling wolf he finds caught in a trader's trap not far from home.

In the grueling wild, and with Black Storm hot on his trail, each decision could be his last. Will he make the right choices, or will Black Storm get his prize?