The famous English screenwriter, author of many films about wildlife, made an expedition to the Andes - the most extensive mountain system in the world, as well as to Amazonia - the kingdom of rain forests. The expedition proceeded along the South American continent from south to north - from Tierra del Fuego to the highlands of Peru. The variety of landscapes, formidable natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, the birth of icebergs, avalanches, are all of interest to the author, who tried to tell about how the unique nature of the mainland was formed. Particular attention is paid to the animal world.