In a quiet city apartment, Glikko Glikko is a domestically raised chipmunk who shares the space with his sister, Fluff Fluff. Their routine life shifts when a carrier pigeon named Pippo arrives with stories of a distant, expansive North Forest. Glikko becomes convinced that the forest is his true home, while Fluff remains skeptical, wary of leaving the safety of their familiar surroundings.
When Pippo returns the next morning, he warns of real dangers on the journey—foxes and hawks that could prey on travelers like them. The neighbor’s cat stalks them and takes a swing, but the attack misses and the cat flees. Despite Pippo’s doubts about Glikko’s ability to go it alone, Glikko’s resolve hardens. Fluff helps him slip away, and he escapes by weaving through the city with their owner’s hat clutched under his paw.
That night, Glikko’s path crosses with a sewer rat named Gamba. He saves Gamba from an oncoming car, and Gamba invites him to join a plan to take on a gang of house rats. The unlikely alliance leads to a small party—an unusual celebration born from their shared victory. The next morning, Gamba wakes Glikko and leads him toward a destination, only to reveal a zoo awaits rather than the forest.
In the zoo, Glikko meets a chipmunk named Zipzip and also encounters a female chipmunk, Nono Nono, who longs to reach the North Forest. Glikko leaves the zoo and Nono follows; at first he resists bringing her along, but she reveals she was taken to the zoo and that her mother is dead, persuading him to accept her companionship. The dawn finds them feasting on a persimmon tree, until a black cat guarding the tree attacks. Nono injures her leg and Glikko narrowly escapes; he searches for her and eventually finds her again.
The journey continues the next morning as they plan to cross the fields toward the mountains. Nono falls ill with a fever, and though Glikko tries to help, she orders him to leave. He returns with a stack of acorns, vowing to stay beside her no matter what. Soon they encounter a sleeping squirrel who flirts with Nono before a hawk plucks him away. They scramble to escape; Glikko distracts the hawk by luring it into a dense thicket, allowing them both to survive, though the threat of the hawk lingers.
At last they glimpse the distant mountains and discover a boat amidst a storm. The vessel drifts along a river, and Glikko sings to Nono, > We’re on our way, Nono. They reach the open seas by morning, then play near the shore and marvel at the looming mountains. Yet winter presses in as the hawk returns to attack, only to be repelled by a fox that intervenes, killing the hawk and giving the chipmunks a momentary respite. The fox’s ominous gaze lingers as the fox roams nearby.
That night, the pair reach the edge of the forest they have long sought, only to be chased by a snowstorm the following day. Nono shares her childhood trauma—the capture by humans and the loss of her mother—depleting her strength. Glikko scavenges tree bark to keep them going, unaware that the fox has taken note of their slow march.
The following morning, Pippo arrives once more with a hopeful word: they have finally reached the North Forest. The two chipmunks are welcomed by others living there, while Pippo senses the ever-present danger of the pursuing fox. The other chipmunks scatter in fear as the fox bears down on Glikko. Nono and Pippo intervene briefly, but the fox overpowers them and drives Glikko toward a cliff’s edge. On the far side lies salvation—the opposite bank of a wide ravine. The other chipmunks urge Glikko to leap, and he does just as the fox lunges. The fox’s claws graze Glikko’s back in midair, tearing his bandanna but not stopping him from crossing to safety as the fox tumbles away.
With the fox beaten for now, the forest glows with a celebratory mood. The chipmunks cheer as a feast is prepared, and Pippo decides to return to the city, promising to tell Fluff of the forest’s wonders. Pippo flies off, leaving the scene to fade into a snowy, quiet winter that gives way to a hopeful spring.
