Emma the little pigeon has always lived happily in New York City's Central Park but after listening to her Uncle Bob talk about Paris and his French ancestors, she determines, after one last look at New York, to somehow see Paris for herself.
Describes the life cycle of a pigeon and its body parts and a variety of their habitats like tall buildings, cliffs, and in parks. Pigeons build their nests in hidden places so predators cannot find them. Also explains how a mother pigeon feeds her young.
After seeing a girl raped and becoming obsessed with her, sixteen-year-old Thulani finds motivation to move beyond his interest in his birds and his grief over his mother's death.
In 1918, caring for her family's homing pigeons while her father is away fighting in World War I, twelve-year-old Pam comes to suspect that a mysterious stranger in her small North Carolina town is a German spy.
When fifteen-year-old Doris's mother, a professional singer, returns to Puerto Rico and her father finds a girlfriend, Doris cares for a neighbor's pigeons and relies on friends as she begins to find her own voice and wings.
