Tony and her father, writer Matthew Martin, live in the redwood forest of California. While taking a walk, she discovered and brought back a little American lion, which she called "Gato", and a little deer named "Malibu". Three people becoming friends goes against the normal laws of nature. A few years later, Tony and her father left, and Gato and Malibu returned to the wilderness. They do animal things, but the two are still very friendly. When Tony and Matthew returned, they found that logging and hunting had caused a large number of animal deaths in the area. They also found that their neighbor Bergman had been luring animals for many years, but now he leads a hunting team and even kills deer. It depends on Gato and Malibu if they want to survive.