The film begins in Pondicherry, India, where Pi grows up in a zoo owned by his father. Pi develops a deep love and respect for animals, particularly a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. When the zoo is threatened by a severe storm, Pi's father decides to move the family to Canada. They set sail on a ship with some of the zoo's animals, but the journey is cut short when the ship sinks. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with Richard Parker, a zebra, a hyena, and an orangutan.