In the heart of Japan’s bitter winter, incredible animal spectacles bring the frozen wilderness to life. Here, Tristan and Vanessa must battle the elements to film the wondrous winter wildlife. Their ultimate goal is to capture on film the courtship dance of the endangered Japanese crane.

Before filming the cranes, Tristan and Vanessa venture up a snow-covered mountain to encounter the Japanese macaques. These ingenious primates have copied the local people’s taste for bathing in the hot, volcanic water. Tristan and Vanessa witness them fending off the cold temperatures in their very own naturally heated spa.

With shots of the bathing snow monkeys in the can, they head to the northernmost island of Hokkaido, where the Steller's sea eagle – the largest sea eagle in the world – gathers for just a few months every year. Tristan and Vanessa capture incredible shots of this regal bird. Then, the filmmaking duo sees huge flocks of whooper swans as they migrate to a spot where volcanic water keeps the edge of a frozen lake free from ice. A territorial battle breaks out among the swans, and Tristan catches the action at high speed on his film camera.

Finally, in the marshes of Hokkaido, Tristan and Vanessa spot the crane. These beautiful birds are revered by the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and at one point, only 25 cranes were left on the island. To boost conservation efforts, locals began to feed them, and now, there are nearly 1,000 of these birds on Hokkaido. While Vanessa investigates the crane’s incredible history, Tristan sets up his cameras to capture on film the dance of the crane.