Evie is having the time of her life in New York, despite having to start her first day of school with a stye on her eye and a skirt so short it shows off her baby giraffe legs. Busy with a boy-friend-who-might-be-a-boyfriend and with her uncle Scott's new veterinary client, the Central Park Zoo, Evie hardly notices that her long-absent father has appeared out of nowhere. His claims for custody are harder to ignore, but Evie refuses to dance to anyone's tune but her own. She will find a way to stay with her uncle--with a little help from her friends.