Ayla lost her own people when she was a child. In the harsh landscape of the Ice Age, where to be alone is the greatest threat, her life has been a fight for survival - and a search for belonging. But Ayla has an overwhelming sense of destiny that pulls against the needs of her heart.

Leaving the valley of horses with her lover, Jondalar, Ayla embarks on a journey that will lead her to the Mamutoi: the mammoth hunters. Soon, she finds herself drawn to Ranec, their master carver, and must choose between the two men.

Ayla the orphan and Jondalar the traveller leave the safety of the land of the mammoth hunters and embark on a seemingly impossible journey. On their way, they brave savage enemies in their search for the place that will become home.

This is the first novel in Jean M. Auel's epic of life 35,000 years ago when two kinds of human beings, Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, shared the Earth. It follows the story of Ayla, a young girl who is adopted by a group of Neanderthal.

Ayla leaves the safety of the Clan who raised her and sets out alone on an epic journey of discovery. A hostile land awaits her, and her need for human companionship and love remains unfulfilled.