A drought has forced the Named—a clan of sentient, prehistoric big cats—to seek temporary relief near the coast. Much to their surprise, they find a young, clever cat named Newt, whose own clouded history is intertwined with the Named and their leader, Ratha.

Rejected by the Un-Named, carrying emotional and physical scars from a childhood incident she can’t remember, Newt suffers from nightmares of a huge monster she calls the Dreambiter. Newt discovers some small solace with the gentle sea creatures of her ocean beach, but she soon finds herself clashing with Ratha over their protection. In many ways, these two large cats are alike. Perhaps in ways too painful to remember…