Twelve-year-old Claire possesses an inexplicable ability to summon birds, a gift that attracts the interests of unusual companions. A wizardly old man and a mystical hawk try to teach Claire how to enter the Now, a non-place where beings connect through consciousness. Only from there can the red-tailed hawk deliver an urgent message: Birds will vanish from the Earth without her help. But to become their champion, she must first conquer all self-doubt. Claire attempts to do so in what becomes a dangerous expedition to Arkansas to find the ivory-billed woodpecker. If successful, she'll ensure that the woodpecker's habitat, always under threat, will be protected. She joins a small expedition led by a famous ornithologist whose approval of her becomes more important than the woodpecker itself. And in surrendering to self-doubt, Claire opens herself to both disappointment and danger.