Of all the creatures who live in the upland forest, the winged gwynling are the most beautiful, intelligent and endangered. When a hunting party attacks her village, Jhiran Vell struggles to protect her only son from harm. After barely escaping with her own life, she wanders through the countryside. Can a strange capacity to know the thoughts of other living things protect her as she encounters larger, stronger and smarter beings? Is she possessed by an evil spirit or merely a wild thing of the forest? What will happen when this small and fragile woman finds herself trapped on a gunboat with smugglers? Will her wits be enough to preserve her life?