First, those affected by the outbreak of the second world War, Poland became, when troops invaded on September 1 Gdansk. Last summer sunny days for Zoo keeper Jan Zabinskogo and his wife Antonina are filled with bright events. Antonina always helped their careers to her husband and saw to it that the animals were in the best conditions. It turned out that this time, it seems, she will have to now generally take care of them alone. The fact of the matter is that her husband, who is fighting leaves her place.
The Zoo is largely destroyed and many animals are now dead, but the remaining she picks up and starts to take care of them. Antonina watching throughout the city were Jews and decides to help them. Now she will hide children and adults in the bowels of the Zoo along with the animals. The story of this woman described in the book are based on real events, which, together with the events of the books formed the basis for the movie.