Habakuk Tibatong, an honorable professor and hobby zoologist, is an amiable maverick. He lives on the small volcanic island of Titiwu together with his flock of strange animal from the island whom he taught to speak: penguin Ping, monitor lizard Wawa, shoebill Schusch, who should rather have learned to fly instead, and the elephant seal Seelefant who has a wonderful singing voice. The resolute but sensitive Schweindedame Wutz is the mistress of Tibatong′s household, the school and the whole island community. But when an iceberg is washed ashore, the island′s daily routines are pretty much shook up. Inside the iceberg, Tibitong discovers an egg that has been frozen for thousands and thousands of years. Habakuk and his animal friends curiously examine their trove when suddenly a strange green creature hatches from the egg: it is the cute "Urmel".