It is quiet on the ocean floor. Strange specimens are gathered and brought to land, where they are carefully arranged by color and type. Ancient petrifications are cleaned of accumulated sediment. Fragments of coral kingdoms and rare mineral formations are mounted and encased.

Deep-sea animals are harvested from their watery pastures and placed in the newly formed aquarium. Some scuttle on spindly legs; others move slowly, protected by venomous threads or slippery skin. In the background a waterfall hovers, a blue-scaled reminder of the now distant sea.