Paris, 1870. Three wandering souls find themselves in a city set to descend into war. Anne is a former patient from the women's asylum, La Salpêtrière, trying to carve out a new life for herself in a world that doesn't understand her. Newcomer Lawrence is desperate to develop his talent as a photographer and escape the restrictions of his puritanical Canadian upbringing. Ellis, an army surgeon, has lived through the horror of the American Civil War and will do anything to avoid another bloodbath. Each keeps company with the restless beasts of Paris's famous Menagerie, home and prison to the glamorous predators that draw visitors from all walks of life. Yet these fearsome animals are innocents alongside the looming dogs of war.