小说作者以雄健、粗犷的笔触，细腻、逼真地叙述了一个身处绝境、濒临死亡的人，在顽强的求生意识和钢铁般的意志作用下，经过艰苦卓绝的搏斗，终于打败了饥饿、伤病、寒冷以及野兽的要挟而起死回生的传奇故事。小说中的主人公“这个人”是一个美国西部的淘金者，他在前往途中被朋友所抛弃，只好独自一人跋涉在渺无人烟的荒原上，不久他就陷入到了弹尽粮绝的窘境中。更不幸的是他的腿脚先后受伤，只能踉踉跄跄地行走在布满沼泽、丘陵与溪流，随时有野兽出没的荒原上。在极度虚弱中，他发现有一匹病狼循着他的血迹紧紧跟随着他，显然是要把他作为猎物。于是，这两个濒临死亡的“生物”在荒原上展开了一场互相猎取对方生命的生死搏斗。最终他咬死了狼，吞咽下狼的血，让生命重新放射出光彩。
He closed his eyes and tried to keep himself calm. He struggled against the awful desire for sleep that threatened him.
It was much like a sea, this deadly sleepiness. It rose and rose, mastering his entire self, bit by bit.
Sometimes he was almost lost, swimming through its waters with a weakening effort.
Then, by some strange power of the soul,his will would strike out more strongly against it.
Without movement he lay on his back. He could hear, slowly drawing nearer and nearer, the sound of the sick wolfs breathing.
It came closer, always closer, and he did not move. It was beside his ear.
The dry tongue moved across his face. His hands struck out. Actually, he had willed them to strike out.
The fingers were curved, but they closed onempty air. Quickness requires strength, and the man had not his strength.
The quiet waiting of the wolf was awful.The mans waiting was no less awful. For half a day he lay without motion,fighting off sleep.
He waited for the thing that was to feed upon him and upon which he wished to feed.
Sometimes the sea of sleep rose over him and he dreamed long dreams.
But always, through it all, waking and dreaming, he waited for the noisy breath and the feel of the tongue.
This time he did not hear the breath. He slipped slowly from some dream to feel the tongue along his hand. He waited.
The teeth pressed softly, then more firmly.The wolf was using its last strength in an effort to sink its teeth into the food for which it had waited so long.
But the man, too, had waited long. The hand closed on the wolfs mouth.
Slowly, while the wolf struggled weakly,the other hand moved across the wolfs body.
Five minutes later the whole weight of the mans body was on top of the wolf. The hands had not sufficient strength to grasp the wolf about the throat until it died.
But the face of the man was pressed close to the throat of the wolf and the mouth of the man was full of hair.
At the end of half an hour the man felt some warm drops of blood in his throat.
It was not pleasant. It was like hot,melted metal being forced into his stomach, and it was forced by his will alone.
Later the man rolled on his back and slept.
他闭上眼睛，试图保持冷静。他与要挟他睡眠的可怕愿望作斗争。
这就像大海，这种致命的困倦。它一点一点地站起来，一点一点地掌握着本人。
有时他几乎迷路了，在水里游来游去，但用力却减弱了。
然后，由于灵魂的某种奇怪的力量，他的意志会愈加强烈地打击它。
他一动不动地仰卧着。他能听见病狼的呼吸声，慢慢地越来越近。
它越来越近了，越来越近了，他一动不动。它在他耳边。
干舌头从他脸上擦过。他的手伸了出来。实际上，他想让他们罢工。
手指是弯曲的，但它们在空气中闭合了。敏捷需要力量，而人却没无力量。
狼的安静等待是可怕的。那人的等待也同样可怕。他躺了半天，一动不动，打盹儿。
他等待着要喂给他的东西，并希望以此为食。
有时睡海涌上他的头，他做了一个长长的梦。
但是，在这一切中，他总是醒着和做梦，等待着嘈杂的呼吸和舌头的感觉。
这次他没有听到呼吸声。他从梦中慢慢地溜出来，摸摸本人手上的舌头。他等待着。
牙齿悄悄地压着，然后更紧。狼正在用尽最初的力气，努力把牙齿塞进它等了很久的食物里。
但这个人也等了很久。那只手紧闭着狼的嘴。
慢慢地，当狼虚弱地挣扎时，另一只手在狼身上移动。
五分钟后，那人的整个身躯都压在了狼的身上。手没有足够的力量抓住狼的喉咙直到它死。
但那人的脸紧贴着狼的喉咙，他们的嘴上满是毛。
半小时后，那人感到喉咙里有几滴温热的血滴。
这不愉快。这就像热的融化的金属被压进了他的胃里，而这仅仅是他的意志形成的。
后来，那人仰卧着睡着了。
