A Russian expedition travels to various islands in search of animals developed in isolation, such as the flightless birds of New Zealand and the marsupials of Australia. The expedition also finds other animals that have managed to survive the enveloping wave of civilisation: the Komodo Dragon and the prehistoric Tuatara.

The first successful American ascent of Everest took place in 1963. Ten years previously Everest had been conquered for the first time by the British Expedition led by Col. John Hunt. The Americans, however, achieved the distinction of being the first to film from the summit itself.