A boy, obsessed with comparing himself with those less fortunate, experiences a different life at the home of his aunt and uncle in 1959 Sweden.

The orphan Jonna is longing for a mother. One day, an old car stops outside the orphanage and out steps a gorilla that picks Jonna for adoption. It soon becomes clear that they have more things in common than they initially thought. When they start becoming a family, Tord from the local authorities shows up and threatens to send Jonna back to the orphanage.