Ryan Tyler (Slater) is 10 years old and setting out on the adventure of his life — en route to China to visit his father, whom he hasn’t seen in two years. Ryan’s father, Michael (Stephen Lang), is a naturalist specializing in conservation of the Giant Pandas, who live exclusively in the bamboo-forested mountains of China. When Ryan arrives in China, he discovers his father preoccupied with the fate of the panda preserve he’s helped to create. Ryan gamely tries to make the best of things and joins his dad, a young Chinese girl named Ling (Yi Ding) and an elderly Chinese man named Chu (Wang Eel), as they set out into the mountains to check on one of the pandas.

The panda, a mother with a new baby, has been trapped by poachers. Ryan, Ling and Chu realize that the Poachers have stolen the mother panda’s baby, and quickly set off to rescue the little panda and find their way back to civilization. When Ryan encounters the little panda, he forms a special bond with the roly-poly creature. As the trio of humans and their precious cargo overcome natural and man-made obstacles to return home, Ryan gains a greater understanding of himself and of his father’s important work.