The book begins with a magpie between the jaws of a dog, but it turns out the dog does not eat her. Instead, Dog helps Magpie see that life is worth living even without the wing she has lost in a forest fire (Dog has only one eye). Dog is kind to Fox, but Magpie is uncomfortable with Fox around. Over the course of several days, during which the reader wonders whether Fox will eat Magpie while Dog is gone, Fox succeeds in seducing Magpie, and they disappear into the forest. Fox "flies" across the burned land into the middle of a scorching desolate desert. What happens at the end is even worse than what the reader most likely expects.

Most children will need someone to help process what is going on in this book. The unusual, jarring handwritten text at different orientations makes this a difficult read-aloud in addition to looking like deranged scrawl. Is it a threat? Warning? Story of hope? It is definitely NOT a bedtime story for little children. More appropriate for ages 9+