saint louis

Provides information about otters through a look at a litter of pups born at the Saint Louis Zoo, examining their early lives, how they learn to swim, their parents, and other otter characteristics and behaviors; and discusses how zoos can help prevent otter extinction.

Amanda, a faded southern belle, abandoned wife, and dominating mother, hopes to match her daughter Laura with an eligible "gentleman caller" while her son Tom supports the family. Laura, lame and painfully shy, evades her mother's schemes and reality by retreating to the make-believe world of her glass animal collection. Tom eventually leaves home to become a writer but is forever haunted by the memory of Laura.