The Zookeeper

In an unspecified Eastern European country, soldiers round up the inhabitants of a village. Ten year old Zioig (Javor Loznica) is separated from his mother Ankica (Gina McKee). While being transported in a truck, Ziog's father (Mikulás Kren) tells his son that he is a man now and that grown men don't cry. The soldiers kill the men but Zioig manages to escape.

Meanwhile in the capital city, a former Interior Ministry official and Communist party member named Ludovic (Sam Neill) works at a zoo. He receives a letter from his estranged daughter Anna in Paris who wants to reconcile with her father. With the city under siege, Ludovic volunteers to help the Indian veterinary (Om Puri) to look after the animals until they can safely evacuate them. Due to scarce supplies, they are forced to put the animals on rations.