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This is a fantasy about two friends: Chester Highwing, a parrot searching for meaning in his life, and Daniel Strongbeak, a bald eagle whose life has lost its meaning.These two birds live on another world with one ocean and very few islands. To maintain the islands’ food supply, the flocks on this world must make regular and perilous migrations, some lasting up to three days non-stop. It is on the last leg of one of these migrations that Chester rescues an exhausted Daniel from a waterspout that seems to sprout up out of nowhere.
Chester, one of the most respected members of his flock and the trusted counselor to its chieftain, Spinner Maincrest, has no family and (he believes) has made no enduring accomplishments that will survive him after he is gone. "I can’t stop thinking lately that there must be more to life than simply living from migration to migration."
Daniel, on the other hand, knows what he wants from life. The eagle is in love with a princess, Renaissance. Daniel dreamt about the beautiful gyrfalcon, followed the call of his dream for seven days, and just barely reached magical Layson Island, which has an unending supply of food and where the birds wear clothes, live in houses and can use their wings like hands.
"I arrived the night of the Peacock Party," Daniel tells his new friend Chester. "The queen, Esprit, was prepared to announce the betrothal of Renaissance to a goshawk, London Windcutter." But Renaissance had dreamt about Daniel, too, and was in love with the eagle. When Renaissance confessed this to Esprit, the queen postponed the betrothal. Later a jealous London ambushed Daniel while the eagle was soaring along Layson’s western shore. "I’m not proud of it, but I had to kill him." London’s body fell into the water, where it was devoured by the ocean’s foul sea lord, Darnk. "He tried to get me, too. I managed to scar him and started to fly away, but Darnk hurled a waterspout at me, and…well, the rest you know." Now Daniel cannot find his way back to Layson Island without the dream to guide him. "I’ve lost Renaissance forever."
But hope unexpectedly arrives when Thai, an ancient wandering raven who flies alone, brings Daniel a message from Renaissance and offers to lead the eagle back to Layson Island. "Chester, too."
"Me? Why me?"
"Because Queen Esprit requests your presence."
Intimidated but intrigued, Chester agrees to accompany Thai and Daniel on the risky flight, a journey the trio barely survive because of a vicious storm Darnk has conjured around Layson Island, the sea lord outraged by the scar Daniel gave him. While Daniel is reunited with Renaissance, Thai introduces Chester to Esprit and her counselor, Chanticleer. Esprit wastes no time showing Chester ancient scrolls written by Layson’s first queen, the phoenix Columbia, who forecasted this dark day and the parrot’s arrival.
"Darnk will not call off his storm until Layson Island crumbles into the ocean," Esprit explains. "Columbia’s scrolls insist only you can turn the tide in our favor."
"I don’t suppose they say how?" Chester asks.
With Daniel and Renaissance’s aid, Chester discovers a possible way to defeat Darnk deep beneath the island, where forbidden caves are filled with pools of luminous, noxious, burning liquid. "Maybe, if we can get this goop to the surface," Chester hypothesizes, "we can use it as a weapon against Darnk."
Transporting the liquid will be difficult and dangerous, and Chester’s plan will only succeed if every bird on Layson Island cooperates in the task. Unfortunately, dissension has descended on the island. Many locals refuse to forgive Daniel for killing London, even if it was in self-defense, while others do not approve of Renaissance’s desire to marry an "outside." As the fury of Darnk’s storm increases around the island, this dissension threatens to rip Layson apart from the inside. If Esprit’s subjects are going to survive, someone or something is going to have to find a way to unite the birds of Layson Island again.