When Ollie (6) and her sister Nim (11) lose their way on the way to a family party, Ollie feels very responsible for her big sister with Down. They have to arrive on time for their performance for their grandmother, but everything seems to be going wrong. Like a lost little elephant in the woods, Ollie learns that she doesn’t have to do everything by herself. Sometimes she can also hold Nim’s tail.
Olivia (6) lives with her mother, father, and half-sister Nim (11) in a nice house in a busy city. Nim has Down syndrome, and even though Olivia thinks she’s the sweetest person there is, it can be quite a responsibility sometimes. Nim is always playing her melodica and can be incredibly stubborn. Nim loves elephants because she’s called Olivia Ollie since birth. Her little elephant, which she could carry around the house all day. As Ollie got older, the roles reversed. Now, when they play around like little elephants, Ollie leads the way and pulls her big sister Nim along behind her. Not a big deal, of course, but sometimes Ollie has to push herself beyond her limits.
For a big family party, the whole family gathers at a nature campsite to celebrate Grandma Antje’s 75th birthday. Nim and Ollie are already looking forward to their big performance for Grandma. They’re going to play Nim’s favourite song: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Elephant.” Nim wears a beautiful headband with elephant ears and a homemade tail from Grandma. Ollie is wearing a one-piece elephant suit and her new elephant watch. She proudly tells the time; she’s just learned how! At the campsite, the tent is pitched, and then they can finally cycle through a beautiful forest to the party location in the orchard, where Grandma is waiting for them. Ollie and Nim are allowed to help with everything, although, to Ollie’s annoyance, everyone is always very careful with Nim. When Nim suddenly runs off in a panic because she forgot her elephant headband at the campsite, Ollie goes after her.
Ollie only catches up with Nim in the middle of the dense forest. They’re lost. However, Nim doesn’t want to go back to the party until she retrieves her headband from the campsite. She pulls Ollie even deeper into the forest, which turns out to be much bigger and more unpredictable than they thought. It’s a world of its own, filled with diverse animals, strange insects, and beautiful places where they are constantly challenged to be brave or to help each other. A song or a few notes on the melodica help Nim see that things are often less scary than she initially thought. The music provides a welcome distraction. It’s much better to sing out your feelings than to bottle them up. But time is ticking, and Ollie finds it difficult to always be the one responsible. Especially when Nim keeps drifting off into her own world where time doesn’t exist. Even though she’s the little sister, Ollie feels she has to take care of her big sister.
When they begin to argue, Ollie decides to find her own way home, promising to get help. Once alone in the woods, she quickly feels terribly worried about Nim, but in her anger, she hasn’t paid enough attention to the road. The search for her sister is difficult, and Ollie briefly loses faith. Just as she gives up, she’s found by Nim. Her big sister, in her own imaginative, positive, and unique way, takes over Ollie’s caregiving duties for a while. She even takes her little sister to the campsite she found all by herself. Nim gets her elephant headband from the tent, and then they can go to the party, but… do they still have time? Now it’s Ollie who, inspired by Nim’s thinking, finds a solution. They sail across the river with a group of singing scouts back to the party in the orchard.
When the sisters finally perform their song, the whole family joins in. While singing, the sisters share what they’ve learned and hold each other’s tails. Ollie now also knows that Nim can take care of her when it really matters. They are two little elephants who are there for each other and take turns leading the way.
