MARA is a curious 6-month-old lion cub who is devoted to her mom, Layla. Mara prefers to spend her days snuggling and playing with her mother, aunts and cousins—a group of lions that make up the River Pride. Layla is an experienced lioness, and Mara hopes to follow in her footsteps. But she must learn quickly, for Layla is nursing an injury that is beginning to slow her down. Mara’s future is in question, and her loyalty to Mom will be challenged.

LAYLA used to be the most experienced hunter among the River Pride lionesses, but an injury has stolen her physical prowess. She’s hurting, and some days, she lags behind the pride, but her feisty nature remains. Layla concentrates on protecting her daughter, Mara, doing everything in her power to carve out a permanent niche in the pride for the young cub and, at the same time, save her from the threat of Kali and his sons.

FANG is the leader of the River Pride. His broken tooth isn't his only challenge: Kali and his sons are waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal his throne. Fang may be the lord of the River Pride, but it's the lionesses who surround him that give the pride its real strength. Embattled and bruised, Fang counts on his feisty team to take care of the hunting and often relies on them when the pride is threatened. But despite the lionesses' willingness to step up to the plate, Fang's weakness puts the pride at risk.

KALI is a powerful and combative lion who leads the group of lions north of the river. But Kali and his sons have grown tired of living in the margins of lion society; they call on the River Pride again and again to test Fang’s strength with hopes of one day gaining control of the pride. Mara, Layla and Sita will all be tested by Kali and will need to stand up to him to protect their families.

SITA is a tough, beautiful adult cheetah—a single mom who’s fiercely protective of her newborn cubs. She faces quite a juggling act with the need to regularly leave her brood to hunt for food while remaining vigilant against possible attacks on them from lions, hyenas and adult male cheetahs. She treks for miles in search of her prey, returning at dusk to share her precious milk with the cubs. Sita will eventually lead them from the den on a perilous journey across Kali’s land in search of food.

SITA’S CUBS are sweet and playful little cats who are blissfully unaware of the danger that surrounds them. As they grow and learn from their fearless mother, it is clear that they’ve inherited much of her spunk—though standing up to an adult cheetah isn’t necessarily a good idea.