With Georgia's capital under siege in 1992, unemployed film director NIKA sees a unique opportunity to escape the ravages of civil war. A former studio bear CHOLA has been invited to retire at the Berlin Zoo, and NIKA and his former stuntman TOMA can accompany Chola on the long journey. But the war again impinges on the two friends as Nika's films are burned in an attack that also leaves their beloved bear dead. With no other options, Nika hits on an outrageous solution: he'll disguise himself in a bear suit and travel as Chola to Berlin. They sneak through Turkey, the Balkans and Eastern Europe to, finally, Berlin, encountering soldiers, police, a mystic soothsayer, drug dealers and gangsters along the way - oh, and a fiery red-headed French Canadian animal rights activist who joins them to ensure the well-being of 'Chola!' It's a journey fraught with obstacles - some comic, some tragic, some both - in which the motley band of travellers learn that hope, love and freedom are as fragile as they are elusive.