The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Dimaline, Cherie. Empire of Wild. HarperCollins, New York, NY, 2019. Kindle AZW file.

Joan lives among her Native community near Arcand, a small town in Canada. Her people have faced prejudice since the founding of the town 200 years earlier. Joan's mother Flo operates a small construction company where her three children are employed. Joan's two brothers, Junior and George, live with Flo. Joan lives in a small house she inherited from her father. Joan met Victor while traveling the country, and they immediately fell in love. One day, Victor brought home a contract with an offer of more than a half million dollars for the 26 acres Joan inherited. She was angry that he would even consider selling. Victor left the house and never returned.

This novel picks up almost a year after that argument. Joan is the only one still actively searching for Victor. She spends much of her time with her family, including her grandmother – a very traditional Native named Mere – and Joan's young cousin Zeus who has a troubled relationship with his mother and never sees his father. After a night of drinking with her cousin, Joan stops at a Walmart for food. She is inexplicably drawn to a tent at the edge of the parking lot and discovers that a religious service has just taken place. Joan is shocked when she sees Victor is the minister for the traveling group. He denies knowing her and introduces himself as Reverend Wolff. Thomas Heiser, the man responsible for the traveling ministry, sends Wolff away. Heiser tells Joan that her husband is dead and she is suffering from grief. Joan is struggling because of the alcohol the previous night. She ends up in the hospital. The next day, she discovers wild animals killed Mere. Joan is frantic to find Victor as she tries to cope with the grief of Mere's death.

The old women in the community have always warned the young women to be wary of the rogarous who are a constant threat. They warn the young men to avoid the wrongdoing that will make them into rogarous, including abusing women and children and mismanaging the land. Joan encountered a rogarou when she was 13 years old – a time when she thought she was too old for those stories. She has since offered several other explanations for those events, but it has had a lasting impact. After Mere's death, some members of the community gather to find the pack of animals that killed Mere. Ajean, the oldest woman in the community, says it was a single animal – a rogarou. Ajean gives Joan advice on how to retrieve Victor.

Zeus insists on going with Joan as she tries to reach Victor, and she takes him with her on several of her attempts. One day, Zeus says he has fought with his mother. Joan puts it down to a typical argument when Zeus says he hates Bee. When they go on yet another trip, Joan sneaks away from the motel while Zeus is in the shower. He is furious, but she worries that he will be hurt.

While Joan has been trying to reach Victor, one part of his identity has been living as Reverend Wolff while another has been trapped in the woods where a rogarou is trying to devour him. What Joan does not yet know is that Heiser is a Wolfsegner, a person with the ability to control canines including rogarous. Heiser is also controlling a man named Robe who is part of the ministry. Meanwhile, a woman named Cecile has become determined to get rid of Victor, clearing the way for her to become the new minister for the traveling group. She sets fire to the lodge where the group is staying, but Cecile dies in the fire. Joan is able to lure Victor away from the fire, but they come face-to-face with Heiser and Robe. When Joan is able to pull Victor away from his own rogarou, a fight ensues that leaves Heiser either dead or unconscious in a car. Robe is thrilled to be free of Heiser's control, but Joan and Victor know he is too far gone to be saved from the rogarou. Back at the motel, Joan finds that Zeus has fallen victim to his anger. Zeus knows his feelings about his mother have turned him into a rogarou. A short time later, the oldest member of the Native community hears a scuffling on her porch. She knows she has captured a rogarou, but she is not sure she that can hold it long enough for Joan to arrive.