On March 29, 1973, Prudence Vilkas was born with a pair of wings molded to her back. Considered a birth defect, they were removed. At fifteen, Prudence meets her estranged Lithuanian grandfather and discovers a miraculous lineage of bird-women, storytellers with wings dragging the dirt, survivors perched on radio towers, lovers lit up like fireworks, and heroes disguised as everyday men and women. And she sets forth on a quest to discover her ancestors.