White Fang opens with a stark introduction to survival in the Arctic. Bill and Henry are transporting a body back to civilization in their dog sled. They soon find that they are being pursued by a pack of wolves. The wolves, half-starved by the bleak conditions in which they live, are hunting the sled dogs.

When they settle down and make camp for the night, Bill remarks that the dogs are more agitated than normal. Indeed, they can sense the nearby wolves. Henry even thinks that there was a wolf among the dogs when he fed them their meal.

In the morning, one of the dogs, Fatty, is gone. He has been eaten by the wolves. The next morning, Bill and Henry discover that Frog, their strongest dog, has met the same fate.

The reddish she-wolf who leads the pack lures the dogs away from the others one by one, so that they are caught, killed, and eaten by the wolves. At one point, Bill heads off with the rifle in an attempt to rescue one of the dogs. He does not return and Henry is left alone. After several days, all of the dogs and Bill have been killed and eaten by the wolves.

The next chapter follows the wolf pack as they continue to hunt for food among the famine. They eventually bring down a large moose. This provides enough meat that the wolves are satiated. At this point, the pack disbands and head off in separate directions.