Sam is joined in the Catskill Mountains by his younger sister, Alice, who is quietly living in a tree house of her own. Their peaceful life is shattered when a conservation officer confiscates Sam's falcon, Frightful, and Alice suddenly vanishes.

In this middle grade novel, acclaimed author and illustrator Jean Craighead George tells the story of how one unusual spotted owl makes his way into the home--and hearts--of a family of loggers.