Summary
The first thing that happens is the earthquake. A giant crack in the ground appears, dividing a young Cro-Magnon girl from the rest of her family. However,this was 26,000 years ago. Separated from both her essential needs and the ones she loves, she treks across the land, looking for food, shelter, and a family to take care of her.after about a month of traveling, she finally comes across large animals to eat, however they are also too large to possibly be docile. A pack of gigantic cave lions finds her, and one proceeds to chase. she finally settles in a crack of a mountain, but is severely wounded with four long streaks upon her leg as a mark of attack. Starving, tired, and all alone, she faints at the spot.
The next day, a clan finds this young girl inside the crack, and deem her wounded and in need of help, and also incredibly ugly. As they were the race of the Neanderthals, bow-legged with no chins, large noses, long arms, and a short stocky body. Such a skinny girl, anorexic in their terms,with a bony ridge an the bottom of the face, a large head, and almost white hair. Only a few come to accept her, the medicine woman of the clan, and the grossly deformed shaman and leader of the tribe. They nurse her back to health, and she becomes a powerful and lucky member. Seeing it as a sign of the spirits, the shaman ultimately decides to keep the girl, known as Ayla, in the Clan of the Cave Bear.
As Ayla grows up, she is given much attention as a great leader and beloved young woman. The only one to not participate in such is Broud. A Neanderthal boy who just cant stand the attention given to Ayla. He grows to hate her, as she does to him. Their hatred for each other continues to fester, until Broud hatches a plan for his own egocentric self. When the two are young adults, Broud grossly rapes Ayla in cold blood. Eventually, Broud successes his father as leader of the clan upon the shamans death, banishing Ayla from the clan, she has to give up her newborn son, giving her flashes of grief and sorrow for the rest of her days, forced to find people of her own kind.
The next day, a clan finds this young girl inside the crack, and deem her wounded and in need of help, and also incredibly ugly. As they were the race of the Neanderthals, bow-legged with no chins, large noses, long arms, and a short stocky body. Such a skinny girl, anorexic in their terms,with a bony ridge an the bottom of the face, a large head, and almost white hair. Only a few come to accept her, the medicine woman of the clan, and the grossly deformed shaman and leader of the tribe. They nurse her back to health, and she becomes a powerful and lucky member. Seeing it as a sign of the spirits, the shaman ultimately decides to keep the girl, known as Ayla, in the Clan of the Cave Bear.
As Ayla grows up, she is given much attention as a great leader and beloved young woman. The only one to not participate in such is Broud. A Neanderthal boy who just cant stand the attention given to Ayla. He grows to hate her, as she does to him. Their hatred for each other continues to fester, until Broud hatches a plan for his own egocentric self. When the two are young adults, Broud grossly rapes Ayla in cold blood. Eventually, Broud successes his father as leader of the clan upon the shamans death, banishing Ayla from the clan, she has to give up her newborn son, giving her flashes of grief and sorrow for the rest of her days, forced to find people of her own kind.