White Fang, a brave wolfdog, faces a ruthless fate as he is brutally mauled during a dog fight. Town marshal Weedon Scott tries to step in and save him, but the sinister Beauty Smith, White Fang's owner, strikes from behind, incapacitating Scott with a swift blow from his cane. The search for Smith by the police proves fruitless as he eludes capture.
In a haunting flashback, we see White Fang's early days spent with his mother, another wolfdog. As they seek shelter, a lynx attacks them. White Fang's mother heroically defends her offspring, but she pays a price with her injuries. Meanwhile, while Scott sets up camp after a harrowing escape from a pack of wolves, he is joined by Hank, another marshal, and Jim Hall, a prisoner in transit. On a fateful night, while White Fang and Kiche venture towards the camp in search of food, they come to the attention of Hank, who callously aims to shoot White Fang's mother to end her suffering. However, Weedon Scott intervenes, offering White Fang a piece of salmon, hinting at the possibility of future friendship. The duo manages to evade the wolves thanks to Kiche's clever distraction with the salmon.
The following day, while foraging for food, they stumble upon an Indigenous camp. There, a man named Three Eagles seeks to harm White Fang's mother, but Grey Beaver recognizes her as Kiche, his former sled dog. Three Eagles relinquishes Kiche to Grey Beaver, who commits to re-training her as a sled dog. Soon after, Hank arrives with troubling news: the Indigenous land is up for sale due to a gold strike. Motivated by this, Grey Beaver resolves to reclaim the land by trading beaver pelt mittens in Fort Yukon.
Upon realization that there are no beavers on his side of the territory, Grey Beaver decides to trade Kiche to a man named William for access to beaver-rich land. With successful sales of mittens, Grey Beaver heads to Fort Yukon with White Fang, only to cross paths with Smith again. Smith tries to coerce Grey Beaver into selling White Fang to transform him into a fighting dog, but Grey Beaver initially resists. However, after being robbed by Smith and Curtis, he finds himself cornered into selling White Fang.
Under Smith's torment, White Fang is forced into a series of dog fights, winning all but one, where he suffers severe injuries at the jaws of two other dogs. He awakens later in a cabin, where the injured Weedon Scott and his wife Maggie Scott reside. The next morning, Maggie discovers White Fang has gotten into trouble with their chickens. After scolding him for the mischief and discussing her pregnancy with Weedon, they consider returning to San Francisco, while White Fang finds comfort among the birds.
However, the drama intensifies when Smith retaliates by hiring Hall, who recently escaped from prison, to confront the couple. While hiking, Scott and White Fang are ambushed by Hall. In an intense showdown, White Fang showcases his loyalty and strength, defending Weedon Scott with commendable bravery. The three villains—Smith, Curtis, and Hall—are ultimately apprehended by Hank and led away to prison after a fierce encounter.
With a sense of triumph and fulfillment, Scott and Maggie set out for San Francisco with White Fang. However, noticing the wolfdog's longing gaze towards the woods, Scott makes the heart-wrenching decision to set White Fang free. As he races back into the wilderness, he reaches a cliff and releases a soulful howl, echoing through to Grey Beaver, Kiche, and William, before dashing back into the safety of the trees.
