Lioness Kali has broken the golden rule of family life by having cubs with an outsider, and when she tries to bring the young ones home she is forced into exile. Passionate baboon Bakari starts a deep and jealous rivalry after the female he was devoted to is stolen away by the new leader of the troop, and teenage elephant Tembo feels sidelines when his mother gives birth to a new baby.

Hunger starts to bite for the animals of the Serengeti, who are anticipating the arrival of the annual great migration - and the feast it will bring. Kali the lioness and her sister entrust their cubs to new male babysitter Sefu, with near disastrous results, while Bakari the baboon is shocked when a trip across the river to collect crocodile eggs looks like ending in tragedy for his new female Cheka. A family of wild dogs moves in, led by male Jasari, who is ready to take advantage of the coming feast for his large litter of pups.