The Valley of Horses

Expelled from the Clan, Ayla travels alone until she finds a sheltered valley where she can survive the coming winter. She develops new hunting methods, experiments with fire and tools, and forms unusual bonds with a horse and a cave lion. Her self-sufficiency protects her, but years of isolation leave her without companionship among people of her own kind.

Elsewhere, the brothers Jondalar and Thonolan undertake a long journey eastward across Ice Age Europe. Their route eventually brings Jondalar, wounded and bereaved, into Ayla’s valley. The meeting forces both characters to overcome fear, language barriers and inherited prejudice as Ayla begins to understand the culture of the Others.