Born covered in black feathers, abandoned as a baby in the slums of the Maze, Poe has lived his entire eleven-year-old life hidden away under the protection of his adoptive father, Gabriel. He spends his days secretly helping the Mice, bands of orphans who roam the slums, but there is a whisper of an altogether more sinister figure in the shadows, making street children disappear. When Bianca, an over-protected girl from the wealthy City beyond the Wall, escapes into the Maze in search of adventure, their worlds collide. As danger looms on all sides, a friendship grows between the city girl and the boy covered in feathers ... a friendship that may just be enough to bring Bianca home, and lead Poe to his destiny.