Detective Inspector Purbright of the Flaxborough police force is used to a life of quietude in a small market town, yet he knows that behind the outward respectability of typical English communities a darker underbelly of greed, crime and corruption lurks. Chalmsbury, a neighbouring town to Flaxborough, has been experiencing a series of explosions that have destroyed many of the town's monuments.

Destiny has brought them together . . .
Three young bear cubs—one black, one polar, and one grizzly—and a mysterious shape-shifting bear have each been following a path toward a mystical destination. All four bears are finally united at the sacred Great Bear Lake, where bears gather to celebrate the Longest Day. But danger lurks ahead, and the young bears must test their determination to reach the promised wilderness if they have any chance of surviving the harsh realities of the wild.