And Gazelles Leaping

An orphan, his pet, a Manipuri elephant sensitive about his small size and their friends—Heera and her nanny-goat; Mazdoor and his donkey White Beauty; Tu Fan, a Chinese boy and Soetomo from Java—attend Sister’s Svenska’s kindergarten on an abandoned estate in rural Calcutta. The children and their pets live an idyllic life: they have many adventures on the estate and are loved, sheltered and guided by Sister Svenska; Karin, the Sister’s help; Moti-Didi the washerwoman and Cha-Cha the wheelwright. But when a rapacious corporation from the big city swoops in to take over their school and a gang of juvenile thugs threatens the orphan and his elephant, he must band together with his friends—with a little help and advice from the grown-ups around them—and do battle.