It's almost impossible to study dolphins for extended periods of time in the open ocean. For this reason a pod of sixty bottlenose dolphins resident in New Zealand's Doubtful Sound provides a unique opportunity for scientists to improve our knowledge of these mysterious, appealing mammals.

Berlin-born researcher Karsten Schneider spent three years in this remote part of Fiordland studying the group, individual by individual. This compelling and at times surprising chronicle of his work reveals a matriarchal, highly communal society with a complex social order and way of life.