Set against Argentina's turbulent years following the collapse of the corrupt Peronist regime, this is the story of Juan Salvador the penguin, rescued by English schoolteacher Tom Michell from an oil slick in Uruguay just days before a new term. When the bird refuses to leave Tom's side, the young teacher has no choice but to smuggle it across the border, through customs, and back to school. Whether it's as the rugby team's mascot, the housekeeper's confidant, the host at Tom's parties, or the most flamboyant swimming coach in world history, Juan Salvador transforms the lives of all he meets - in particular, one homesick schoolboy. As for Tom, he discovers in Juan Salvador a compadre like no other.