It is 1897. As Teddy Roosevelt breaks camp on the western plains, an elk calf is born in the Olympic Mountains. Nearby, a great bull sharpens his antlers, bobwhites call from the sage grass, and a waterfall glitters in the sunlight. In the coming year, the calf will learn much about survival. It will also be a year of enlightenment for Teddy Roosevelt. Soon to become one of the most beloved leaders of the United States, Roosevelt will take steps to conserve the wild places and animals of America so that future generations may enjoy them, too.

This is a story not only about the magnificent elk, but also about an important chapter in American history, an introduction to one of the most influential pioneers of the modern conservation movement, President Theodore Roosevelt.