Josh lives on a farm with his mum and dad, but when mum is rushed to hospital with a severe headache, Josh finds his comfortable home is no longer comfortable. Dad with the best will in the world doesn't understand about things like washing and cooking, and when a fierce winter storm hits and the farm is cut off in the snow, Josh and Dad live in their own little world. Josh can't tell his dad about his fears for his mum, and the fears come out in the strangest of ways. In the cold night, Josh sees a wolf at the window, a wolf who calls him out and takes him through mysterious places. In the morning he finds wolf tracks outside the window, and he comes to depend on the wolf for company and solace. He comes to understand that the wolf is lonely too. When the thaw finally comes, Josh and the wolf must give each other up, and the book ends happily with the promise of mum's homecoming. The descriptions of Josh's feelings, their life on the farm and the episodes with the wolf are told with great power and beauty. Black and white drawings add much to the whole, and the 84 pages of the book are enthralling.