Trouble is brewing in Southern . gold has been discovered in the Artic, and everyone is looking to cash in on the find. Men are looking for big strong enough to fight endlessly and withstand the bitter cold.
Buck lives in the home of Judge in Santa Clara Valley. The is large and spacious, and the grounds are beautifully laid out with orchards and gardens. Other dogs are present, but Buck is above them all. Buck is the king of the house. A mix of St. Bernard and Scotch Buck weighs only 140 pounds. He is not as large as his father was, but he carries himself like a .
Unknown to Buck, he is in danger. a gardener's helper, has created a large gambling . One night, when the Judge and his sons are gone Manuel takes the unsuspecting Buck to a train where a man is waiting for them. Buck is put into a cage, and is then thrown into the car of the train. Throughout the night, Buck wonders why he is there. His pride is wounded, and he wants the to come for him.
The cage is switched to an express train that will reach in two days. When the train is unloaded, a man in a red approaches the cage, as four other men look on. The man carries a club and a . First, he uses the hatchet to break open Buck's cage. Buck leaps at him and is struck by the , a new and horrible experience. Buck is struck again and again until he is beaten and . At last he can no longer rise. The sweater nicely tells him to mind his place, pats his head, and provides him with meat and . Buck is beaten; not broken. Other dogs arrive and undergo the same process. Buck learns to the red sweater, but he is too proud to seek the man's affection, as other dogs do. A Canadian man named buys him, along with Curley a good-natured . He takes them to a where they are given to Francois, another . Here, there are two other dogs: A white one, who is treacherously friendly, and Dave who seems completely disinterested in everything around him. The boat ends its journey and steps into a colder climate. He sees his first , and he does not understand what it is.