Set in Ice Age Europe, Ayla, the horse Whinney, which she tamed, and her lover Jondalar encounter the Mamutoi, a tribe of mammoth hunters, who, because of her control over animals, her healing skills, and the magic firestone she discovers, adopt Ayla into their clan. Ayla finds herself drawn to the Mamutoi master carver Ranec, which makes Jondalar wildly jealous. It isn't until after the great mammoth hunt, in which Ayla's life is threatened, that...

THE LAND OF THE PAINTED CAVES continues the story of Ayla, her mate Jondalar, and their little daughter, Jonayla, taking readers on a journey of discovery and adventure as Ayla struggles to find a balance between her duties as a new mother and her training to become a Zelandoni -- one of the Ninth Cave community's spiritual leaders and healers.

This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love. Through Jean M. Auel's magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous...

No historian recorded their heartaches, triumphs or names. Yet Ayla and others like her left indelible imprints. The continued humankind's long march toward civilization, and away from more primitive groups like The Clan of the Cave Bear.