Howey Cross is at something of a cross-roads in his life. Two young children, a new home and job, and now his partner, Moira, is seriously ill in hospital. How can he keep his family on an even keel and still manage to make his mark in the Kentville Police? Luckily, he has good friends in Darren, Hinzi and the Nova Scotia birders who are always ready to help. There is a sinister undercurrent in the birding world. Rare birds are disappearing from their find sites, more precipitately than might be expected, why? It is all just a coincidence, or is there a collector operating in the province of Nova Scotia?