Katie Clarke may never forgive her veterinarian father, Danny and step-mother Jo for dragging their entire blended family out of New York City to spend a year living in a broken-down lodge on a wildlife reserve deep in South Africa. In fact, the one area of agreement among Katie, her 11-year-old brother Chase, their rebellious teenage step-brother Jesse and 7-year-old step-sister Mia, is that Danny has lost his mind. Complicating matters, the family takes up residence at the Blue Antelope Lodge, the childhood home of Katie's deceased mother, where her reclusive grandfather, Art still resides. Things begin to look up for Katie and Jesse when they meet young locals Oliver, Tumelo and Emily. While Jo struggles to adjust to this strange land, Danny immediately begins working on sick and injured animals, much to the relief of the locals.