It all started with a feather, beautiful and bright green, that fate placed in the middle of the school hall for Fowler Young to find. It had fallen, along with a great many others, from a bedraggled parrot trapped in Mrs. Picklestain’s third-grade classroom. Seeing the bird’s poor condition and fearing for its life, Fowler decides to take fate into his own hands. He would need a plan, a place to keep the bird out of sight, and a patsy to blame. But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and Fowler must contend with the many complications and moral dilemmas that arise as he slides down the slippery slope toward a life of crime.