When the young meerkat Tafiti meets the cheerful but clumsy aardvark Borstel, he thinks they can never be friends. His grandfather has always taught him that meerkats must stay with their own kind. But when his grandfather is bitten by a poisonous snake, Tafiti must venture into the desert to find a mysterious blue flower that can save him. He wants to make the journey alone, but Brush is determined to accompany him and show that by working together, they can overcome the dangers of the desert.