Museumization is stagnation, at least when understood in the traditional sense. Certain things are removed from their everyday existence and declared to be something special. From now on, its role is to be looked at, understood and often revered. In natural history museums, the moment of standing still takes on special meaning. Living things are prepared so that their outer shell still retains some semblance of life. Through the arrangements of the remains they convey certain concepts of the biological sciences. As a classifying creature, humans are given a place within the biological classification and themselves (materially) become an exhibition object. The world of things in the Natural History Museum shapes both the people who work in this institution and the visitors to the exhibitions. It is a place where our relationship with nature manifests itself in an impressive way.

The film observes the museological work in the Phyletic Museum Jena: the ordering and preservation of natural history objects in the depot as well as the employees' reflections on the question of what the world of objects in the museum can teach us about life. In addition to rational access to the natural system, the institute's employees also develop an emotional relationship with the preserved wildlife in the collection. These emotions become all the stronger when they come into contact with one's own species, when humans become the subject of zoological research.