Kiku-chan is a young Japanese girl caught in the final days of World War II in Manchuria, fleeing advancing Soviet and Chinese forces with a group of civilians. During the escape, she contracts measles, becoming too ill to travel. Her mother, compelled by harsh circumstances, leaves her behind to protect the group.

Feverish and alone, Kiku-chan encounters an elderly female wolf considering her as prey. In her delirium, the girl mistakes the wolf for her pet dog. Observing Kiku-chan's vulnerability, the wolf suppresses her predatory instinct. Instead, she forages for medicinal herbs and feeds them to Kiku-chan, nursing her through the illness and saving her life.

This act sparks maternal feelings in the wolf. Recognizing the child cannot survive alone in the wilderness, she repeatedly attempts to guide Kiku-chan toward human settlements. Their journey focuses on the wolf's protective behavior as she safeguards the girl from environmental dangers and works to reunite her with people. An unexpected interspecies bond forms, defined by care and mutual survival amid wartime devastation.