The setting for Clan Ground is an alternate prehistoric time, where the most intelligent beings on Earth are the huge wildcats who call themselves the Clan or the Named. The members of the Clan have evolved beyond their animal origins. They have created a language and a distinct way of life.

They herd, rather than hunt, the animals they need for food, and through the efforts of their leader, Ratha, they have secured the use of fire to warm themselves and to ward off enemies.

As the story opens, the herders and Firekeepers of the Clan are celebrating their now famed victory over the raider cats called the Un-Named, who in the past stole from the Clan herds and attempted to destroy the Clan. The celebration recalls Ratha's taming of the fire-creature, the weapon that the Clan used to drive off their attackers. While the Named enact a...