When a tiny emperor penguin hatches in the Antarctic, she is surprised to find that her normally protective father is very lost! So the determined little bird sets off on a quest to find him- sliding over icy ridge, slipping around snowy rises, and waddling across frozen bridges... Along the way she encounters many antarctic animals, asking each one if they are her dad. She learns interesting facts and clues about her father- that he is a bird who cannot fly, that he lives on land and swims in the sea, that he is tall but much smaller than the animals she encounters. Feeling very forlorn when she realizes none of her new friends are her dad, she suddenly spies something strange climbing out of the sea. He shares many of the characteristics of her lost father, but is this truly him?! Is her quest finally over?