African vet and safari park owner Danny Trevanion is delighted when his neighbour Fatani, tormented by a grumpy hippo, gives him the animal to rehouse at Leopard's Den. When the hippo refuses to leave its cosy enclosure, Danny soon wishes he had been more wary of accepting Fatani's gifts.
Another new arrival causes equal chaos - Sarah's mother Caroline, here to offer her daughter unwanted help. DuPlessis is smitten by Caroline's good looks and spiky humour, but Sarah resents her mother's uninvited presence and has never forgiven her for leaving her father.
Soon the fur is flying.