When twelve-year-old Ruth is befriended by Dr. Banting and his assistant Mr. Best at a biological research center in Toronto, Ruth is torn between animal rights and medical research, since the research they are doing involves dogs.When twelve-year-old Ruth is befriended by Dr. Banting and his assistant Mr. Best at a biological research center in Toronto, Ruth is torn between animal rights and medical research, since the research they are doing involves dogs.