Story opens as Ayla and Jondalar along with their animal friends, wolf, whinney and racer, complete their epic journey across Europe and are greeted by Jondalars people, the Zelandonii. The people the 9th Cave of Zelandonii Fascinate ayla. They're clothes, customs, artifacts, even their houses formed in the great cliffs of the vertical Limestone are a source of Wonder to her. And in the woman Zelandoni, the spiritual leader of the 9th cave and one of the initiated Jondalar into the gift of the pleasure she meets a fellow healer with whom to share her knowledge and skills. But as they prepare for the formal meeting at the summer meeting, there are difficulties. Not all people are welcome and. Some fear her unfamiliar ways in a poor her relationship with those they call flatheads and she calls clan. Some even oppose her meeting with him and making their displeasure known. She has to call on all her skills, intelligence, knowledge, and instincts to find her way into the complicated society, to prepare for the birth of her child and to decide whether she will accept new challenges and play a significant role in the destiny of the people.