The opening narration focuses on the Yukon as a wild, desolate land defined by harsh cold. One of the only signs of life is a group of wolfish dogs and two men whose sled holds a coffin bearing the corpse of another man. As the men, Henry and Bill, travel through the unforgiving landscape, they hear the cries of hungry wolves following them and their dogsled team. A fish is missing from their food supply, and Bill worries that one of the wolves got close to their belongings to steal it. There is barely enough fish to feed the dogs, and losing one puts them dangerously close to starvation. Around their campfire, Bill and Henry see the glowing eyes of the wolf pack in the distance. Bill and Henry have little ammunition left for their guns, and Bill wonders why their dogs did not fight off the wolf who stole the fish. In the morning, Bill and Henry realize that they’re missing a dog. They figure that the missing dog, Fatty, went away from camp to fight the wolves and was quickly defeated by the pack.