Summer grants abundance in a race to make the most of a brief window of warmth. Huge bison thunder through the forests, releasing billions of insects. These biting insects drive the deer up into the mountains to seek relief, but they risk running into hungry wild cats. Bears brawl and deer fight for territory, all while storms bring devastation.

Autumn carpets the Carpathian Mountains in vibrant gold. As days shorten, life enters a season of preparation. Deer stags fight like gladiators over the females, bears feast to fatten up for the winter, and the old-growth forests perform their most magical trick: absorbing carbon to regulate the Earth's temperature.

Gripped by ice in winter, the Carpathian Mountains teem with life thanks to adaptations that help animals survive. Chamois' hooves enable them to race down cliffs, crossbills' hooked beaks pluck seeds from pinecones, and capercaillie digest pine needles by eating stones. One of the world's rarest animals, a lynx, finds a mate through scent.