Taken from the wild in Malaysia as a baby, Billy was transported to Los Angeles Zoo. There he was cruelly trained to do tricks to amuse the visitors.
Thirty years later, having led a mostly solitary life in the zoo, Billy exhibits symptoms of mental and physical distress.
This powerful film follows the social and legal campaigns to have Billy released from the zoo and relocated to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia to live out his remaining days with other freed elephants in natural woodland surroundings