Dimaline’s Empire of Wild is a fantasy novel set in a small rural community in Ontario, Canada. The novel is told from a third-person perspective, using an incredible native voice to reflect on Joan’s life. Joan is the central character, and the novel is told from her perspective. The novel opens by showing Joan, a grieving woman looking for her missing husband. Victor has been mysteriously missing for a whole year. In a flashback, the readers are introduced to Joana’s matriarch family where Joan’s strict mother teaches her Métis’ moral values that she must uphold.
In a flash-forward, the readers are introduced to Joan and Victor living as a couple. One morning, the couple argues, forcing Victor to walk away from home. Unfortunately, Victor never returns, leaving Joan grieving for several days. Joan and her family have been looking for Victor, hoping to find him alive. When almost everyone has given up, Joan hears Victor’s voice from the nearby tent in the Walmart parking lot. She hurriedly moves to the tent to see Victor. When she looks at him, she is convinced that he is the one because the only difference is that he is wearing a suit. However, the man does not recognize Joan and identifies himself as Pastor Wolf. According to Wolf, he has never married because his role is to preach the word of God.
Joan visits Arjen, a traditionalist who knows the history of the Métis community, to seek help to convince Reverend to remember his identity. Her 12-year-old nephew, Zeus, and Johnny, ready to help convince Reverend Wolf to accept his identity, accompanies Joan. After consulting Arjen, Joan returns to continue her search, hoping that Reverend Wolf will remember her.
