The glaciers of the Sierra Nevada are melting, destroying the habitat of the mastodons, creating the rich land that will become California. The coastal people struggle to understand the changing world around them: their seer Sunchaser has lost his way to the Spirit World, and mammoths continue to disappear.

When a beautiful woman arrives, fleeing from her abusive husband, the people know what they must do--for if the Spirits are already taking the animals away, what will happen if they shelter a stranger?

Now Sunchaser must make a choice--between the woman he loves and the preservation of his people's world.