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