Annuk is a newborn baby cub, but unlike his brother and sister, Annuk is white. This makes him a spirit bear, a special creature among his black relatives. That is what his mother tells him when he first learns that he is white while his siblings are black. This alleviates his anxiety over being different from the others. After he gets large enough to go salmon hunting with his mother Annuk falls into the fast flowing river when he catches one and loses his balance. Annuk is swept downstream, away from his family and into unknown territory. Eventually, Annuk is able to struggle out of the river with his salmon, but is so tired that he immediately falls asleep. When he awakes, a wolf cub is dragging his salmon away. Objecting, Annuk recaptures his salmon and after he discovers that he cannot eat all of it, Annuk allows the wolf cub to eat the rest. This is the beginning of a brief friendship where the wolf cub guides Annuk back to his home territory while educating him about the dangerous predators that lurk in the woods. Eventually, Annuk rediscovers his family and there is a joyful reunion.

Contains conservation information before and after the story. One of the unusual and attractive features about this book is that some of the words are highlighted using both different colors and fonts. This attracts your eyes as you are reading and serves to emphasize the text rather than distract you from the primary message. The format is text before and after images that extend across the entire page. The coloration is subdued, giving the appearance of a thick forest with cloudy skies. It is an attractive book that contains the positive messages of family, aiding others and learning how to learn from others when you are in strange circumstances.