''He saw on man raise his weapon and take aim at him... and, the next instant, felt a fierce sear of pain in his right thigh...''

The fox cub Bold has left the sheltered life of the nature reserve determined to make his way in the world. But, exulting in his new-found freedom, he becomes reckless. And now he lies badly wounded by a hunter's bullet. Can Bold survive - lamed and unable to hunt - in the harsh environment of the real world he so eagerly entered? Winter is coming and friends are hard to find . . .