Many conservationists are now calling for more forests to be taken out of use and left to their own devices. But what happens when we leave a forest to its own devices? A strange fact becomes apparent: a once relatively monotonous forest must first be “destroyed” by storms and beetles for biodiversity to explode. A circumstance that has to do with the light that is now available. At the end, the film describes what happens when a new, resilient forest grows. But this does not automatically result in a healthy, species-rich forest, as the processes that keep the forest open are often missing. Otherwise, species-poor beech forests develop in which the majority of animals, plants and even trees are unable to reproduce.