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The movie kicks off with a ton of penguins, including one named Juan who has some new moves. This guy named Ian is out there observing the penguins when he accidentally drops his phone, causing the earth to shake.
Cut to Emma, who is waiting for a match she met on an app. He doesn’t show up. Instead, her dad, Ian, calls and tells her there’s a big problem and that he’s in great danger. However, the phone call keeps breaking up. She tries to reach him again but can’t, so she decides to tag along with a research team heading to Antarctica.
Emma hops on a plane to get to a ship bound for Antarctica. The only problem? She doesn’t have a permit to enter Antarctica, which is apparently required by law. She decides her best course of action is to steal a briefcase from the research team. She’s stopped by a guy named Andy, who’s like, Umm, who are you? Emma lies and says, I have the magnetometer. Andy buys it and says, Well then, we need to get you on board!
Emma sneaks into the janitor’s room, thinking it’ll be fine, but after realizing it’s a 10-day journey, she decides to grab some food while avoiding the woman who told her she couldn’t come. Andy catches her and takes her to the research room to assemble the magnetometer. Realizing she can’t keep up the lie, she finally tells him the truth. Andy feels uneasy about not reporting her—after all, she’s breaking the law—but she pleads, It’s for my dad!
Andy reluctantly agrees to let her stay, even offering her his room (all above board). They bond over card games and other activities, and Emma even sketches Andy while he sleeps. Things are going smoothly until Emma learns the crew on land hasn’t been able to find her dad.
She decides to steal a crew uniform, thinking it’ll make things easier. Her plan works until Ingrid, the woman from the beginning, recognizes Emma’s voice and her distinctive duck ringtone. Ingrid chases her all over the ship, and Emma ends up hiding in a closet. When the ship hits some rough seas, she gets locked inside the closet.
Luckily, Emma manages to make a call over the loudspeaker, and Andy comes to her rescue. They hug for a long time, exchanging meaningful looks.
The ship finally reaches Antarctica, and Emma sneaks onto an expedition with some of the cruisers. She makes it to the base and hops on a snowmobile to find her dad. When she reaches his location, it turns out he was just surfing.
Her dad explains that he’s not the one in danger—a penguin is. He shows them a penguin stuck on a chunk of ice that broke off. He’s tethered the ice chunk but can’t pull it in without tipping over. Fortunately, Andy is an engineer and agrees to help. They come up with a plan, but the drill doesn’t connect to the other iceberg.
Meanwhile, Ingrid is searching for Andy. When she can’t find him, she goes into his room, discovers the stolen crew uniform, and realizes Andy has been hiding Emma.
While this is happening, Andy and Emma take a cold plunge in the icy water. Ingrid spots them with binoculars and is furious.
Back on the ship, Andy and Emma warm up (almost kissing), then return to work with a special drill bit. They eventually learn Emma’s dad is in trouble—a tether broke and pulled him under. He’s okay but insists they get back to saving the penguin.
Just as they’re about to finish the rescue, Ingrid shows up. After an impassioned speech about the importance of penguins, she lets them continue.
They successfully drill and pull the ice chunk back to shore, reuniting the penguins. Emma and Andy hug and nearly kiss again, but they’re interrupted by a phone call. Finally, Andy confesses his feelings, and Emma pulls him in for a kiss.
Four months later, Emma is sketching penguins in Antarctica, living her best life.
