Leningrad, winter 1941. After a severe concussion, Sergeant Major Nikolai Svetlov is discharged from the hospital and assigned to a zoo, where workers perform a quiet feat day after day, saving animals from starvation. A hippopotamus named Beauty occupies a special place in the zoo. At first, the sergeant major perceives his service at the zoo as a misunderstanding and dreams of being back at the front, but the longer he stays there, the more clearly he realizes the importance of his mission. Through kindness and selfless love for animals, he and the remaining zoo keepers preserve the warmth of human souls and give hope for a miracle to all residents of besieged Leningrad.
