Picking up several months after the events of the first film, Kenai, now a cave bear, is living happily with his foster brother Koda. Having just awoken from hibernation, the bears begin traveling to Crowberry Ridge for the first berries of the season. However, Kenai is haunted by memories of his childhood friend Nita, to whom he gave a special amulet many years ago after saving her from drowning. Nita, now grown up, is set to wed Atka, a man from a neighboring Inuit village. However, on the day of the wedding, the Spirits appear in the form of a storm that causes a fissure to open up in the ground between Nita and Atka, much to Nita's horror. Believing it to be a sign, Nita consults the wisest shaman of the tribes. By communicating with the Spirits, the shaman reveals that the amulet that Kenai gave Nita all those years ago bonded her and Kenai together. The only way for Nita to sever the bond and be able to marry Atka is to find Kenai, go with him to Hokani Falls (where Kenai gave Nita the amulet), and burn the amulet on the eve of the Equinox, thus returning the bond to the Spirits. The shaman grants Nita the ability to communicate with Kenai and the other wildlife for this journey.