Water for Elephants is a friendly and lively story, most of which is set during the economic crisis in America. A veterinary student loses both parents in a car accident just before graduation and immediately after the funeral learns that all of his family's assets have been seized by the bank because his father, a once successful veterinarian, could not pay the debt he took out to pay for his son's education at a prestigious university. A fateful coincidence sweeps the desperate boy into the world of a traveling circus, where he leaves his heart forever. Life and work in a circus, especially in times of crisis, is a tough fight for survival, there is a lot of hostility and exploitation, but also a lot of camaraderie and sincere friendship.