We follow French explorer Bernard Buigues, who spearheaded the airlift of the Jarkov Mammoth’s permafrost block in October 1999, as he organizes the largest expedition ever undertaken to collect animal remains of the Pleistocene era (some 2.3 million to 10,000 year ago). Eleven two-man brigades descend upon the Taimyr Peninsula in search of ancient bones and tusks scattered across the almost inaccessible landscape. Several scientists from Buigues’ team, comprised of 37 experts from around the world, join him onsite during the expeditions. While the two-man teams search the peninsula researches install a makeshift laboratory in the Khatanga, Siberia ice cave housing the permafrost block with the Jarkov Mammoth’s remains, which the scientist have determined was a mature 47 year old male that died in either late winter or early spring. The remains must be maintained in this frigid lab to protect against decomposition.