The story follows the lives and survival stories of Emperor Penguins that return to Atka Bay and Neumayer Station III, from returning in autumn to breed, the males huddling and guarding the eggs for 4 months without eating while the females fish for food, returning home just as the newborns hatch. Some mothers of deceased chicks are seen attempting to steal baby penguins from pairs that were successful, while the fathers make the journey to the sea to recover their strength, then return to the colony once more. By springtime, the newborns must learn to stand and huddle to shelter from the cold as they both go out to fish, and they moult before reaching adulthood.

The story is a two-year journey that follows the Marsh Pride of lions in the Maasai Mara, led by lionesses Charm and cousin Sienna after the pride's adult males abandon the group. Charm struggles to keep the remaining members together and thriving during the annual wildebeest migration from threats such as intentional poisoning from local tribespeople (which kills one of Charm's young sons, as well as Sienna), and wandering adult male lions. One of Charm's elder sons, Tatu, eventually leaves the pride with his cousin, Red, to start a new pride. Eventually two adult males take over the Marsh Pride, leading to the remaining three young female cubs leaving the pride for their own safety as they are too young to mate. Charm eventually mates with one of the males, and, four months later, gives birth to two cubs, who are accepted into the pride. Yaya was also pregnant with the other male, making Charm a first-time grandmother.

Tait is the elderly matriarch of a pack of painted wolves in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park. Her pack is driven out of their territory by Tait's daughter, Blacktip, the matriarch of a rival pack in need of more space for their large family of 32. Their combined territory also shrunk over Tait's lifetime due to the expansion of human, hyena and lion territories. Tait leads her family into the territory of a lion pride in the midst of a drought, with Blacktip's pack in an eight month long pursuit. During this time, both packs welcome a litter of puppies, and Tait's pride somehow manages to keep their pack alive in midst of lion pride territory. Blacktip's pack suffers heavy losses, including the loss of a puppy from a hyena clan, and an adult from crocodiles. Having suffered these casualties, Blacktip ends the pursuit and retreats back to her original territory.