The Plains of Passage

Infobox Book |
name = The Plains of Passage


image_caption =
author = Jean M. Auel
country = United States
language = English
series = Earth's Children
genre = Historical novel
publisher = Crown
release_date = September 24, 1990
pages = 760 pp
isbn = ISBN 0517580497
preceded_by = The Mammoth Hunters
followed_by = The Shelters of Stone

"The Plains of Passage" is an historical fiction novel by Jean M. Auel published in 1990. It is the sequel to "The Mammoth Hunters" and fourth in the Earth's Children series.

Plot summary

"The Plains of Passage" describes the journey of cavewoman Ayla and caveman Jondalar west along the Great Mother River (the Danube), from the home of The Mammoth Hunters (roughly modern Ukraine) to Jondalar's homeland (close to Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France). During this journey, Ayla meets the various peoples who live along their line of march. These meetings, the attitudes and beliefs of these groups, and Ayla's response form an essential part of the story.

Characters range in description from innocent to bloodthirsty, from serious to comical, from noble to corrupt, from found to lost, and from peaceful to violent. All of these adjectives apply, interestingly, in some way to either Jondalar or Ayla. Unusually, Ayla (and to some extent Jondalar) is often viewed by her new friends as mystic or supernatural, partially due to her friendships with the world's first known domesticated horses and wolf, but also due to her generous nature and wisdom.

At first they encounter people Jondalar and his brother met on their journey eastward, and have a hard time leaving them, especially after an offer to become joined with a high-ranking Sharamudoi. Jondalar declines each offer, desiring to have the lead mystic of his people lay his dead brother to rest.

"The Plains of Passage" is one of the longer books in the Earth's Children series. It was followed by "The Shelters of Stone."