Sash hates school, with its menacing teachers and stuck-up students. His father, Max, a taxidermist, is too busy to notice. Sash longs for a life of freedom. When he finds a riddle in his father's study, his life is changed for ever as he embarks on a quest to find a mythical bird. Accompanied by school "princess" Verity, Sash travels to a faraway land. His dreams of adventure are about to come true but, as Sash and Verity discover, even paradise has a dark side...