Under a freezing Arctic sky, a wolf carries a baby to a remote village.

Taken in by the villagers and named 'Vulchanok' or 'Little Wolf', the lost baby grows into a happy little boy.

But night after night, his dreams are walked by his rescuer, the wolf-witch. She leads him to the Ghost World and makes him a shaman.

The villagers begin to fear him and he grows into a lonely man — until he sees a vision of a lovely girl as lonely as himself, imprisoned in a small room. Shrugging on his falcon skin, he flies to find her.

When a falcon drums its wings against her window, Kristiana opens it — and is astonished when the hawk lights on the floor and turns into a man. She and Vulchanok are soon in love.

But Kristiana's brother, Glev, will never allow her to marry a dirty northern huntsman — and Vulchanok's wolf-wife is fiercely jealous.

Can the lovers survive the hatred and jealousy surrounding them?