In 1939 Poland, Antonina Żabińska and her husband, Dr. Jan Żabiński, have the Warsaw Zoo flourishing under his stewardship and her care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are stunned and forced to report to the Reich's newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck. To fight back on their own terms, the Żabińskis covertly begin working with the Resistance.