In eastern France, two teenage cousins have the summer of their lives when they paddle a purloined canoe to the far shore of a lake.

In a world hit by a wave of mutations transforming humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, he and their son Émile embark on a quest that will change their lives forever.

This morning, Paul Sérédat, a member of parliament campaigning for reelection, hears it on the radio: he has slipped up. And apparently, not just a little! He panics: what on earth could he have said to deserve such a media storm? He rushes to his computer to uncover the source of the scandal.