"A young boy recounts his friendship with a little sparrow."--

A sparrow receives kindness from strangers and repays each act of kindness with a trick to get more, but at last, in a surprising twist, the sparrow is back with his original problem.

When China's leader declares war on sparrows in 1958, everyone makes loud noise in hopes of chasing the hungry birds from their land except for Ming-Li, a young girl whose compassion and foresight prevent a disaster.