"The most extraordinary animal rescue effort ever undertaken, " the 1988 rescue of gray whales near Barrow, Alaska, serves as a touchstone for critical comparison in Clayton's introductory overview of three major traditions of environmental philosophy: extensionism, ecofeminism's "care" ethic, and Heideggerian phenomenology. The unifying narrative of the rescue story is both an engaging vehicle for the study of environmental ethics and a "real world" testament to the multifaceted nature of human-nonhuman relationships.

On Friday, October 7, 1988, the rescue operation of three young gray whales trapped in ice off the Arctic coast, cost more than a million dollars. Using the story as a touchstone for critical comparison, the author explores three major traditions of environmental philosophy: extensionism, ecofeminism's 'care' ethic, and Heideggerian Phenomenology.