Grizzly cub Toklo dreams of becoming a great bear who will rule the forest, with his brother Tobi forever at his side. But when a terrifying older bear demands they leave his territory, the two cubs and their family have no choice but to abandon the only home they have ever known. Toklo must find the strength to help his family find a new home, all while facing the dangerous realities of a world where full-grown bears usually stalk the forest alone.

In a separate story unfolding in the frozen north, polar bear cub Kallik lives with her brother Taqqiq in a cozy den nestled into the side of a snowy hill. Their mother, Nisa, fills their days with tales of the great world beyond, telling them of endless snow, other bears, and flecks of ice in the sky called stars. Though their mother insists they are still too little to venture outside, the curious cubs sneak out one day and discover startling new things about life in the wild, including making a new friend whose life may be in danger.

In a third tale, black bear cub Lusa lives with her brother Yogi in a curious place called the Bear Bowl, a habitat surrounded by fences where strange flat-faces come to watch the bears every day. Lusa's father, King, tells her that no bear has ever left the Bowl, but that does not stop Lusa from dreaming of the world beyond and having thrilling adventures as she tries to learn about it.

These stories serve as an introduction to three young bears from different species—black, polar, and grizzly—each separated from their families and facing the wilderness alone. Their individual journeys of survival and discovery in their distinctive habitats ultimately lay the groundwork for a larger destiny that will bring them together. The harsh realities of the natural world, from territorial disputes to the dangers of unfamiliar environments, shape each cub's understanding of what it truly means to be a bear in the wild. As they learn to navigate their respective challenges, these three bears are unknowingly being prepared for a larger quest that will unite them in search of hope and destiny. The manga adaptations bring these early chapters of their lives to the page, illustrated by Bettina Kurkoski and published by Tokyopop and HarperCollins.