Rupert Griffiths arrived in Hong Kong in 1972, not quite two years old, when his father took up a post at the University of Hong Kong. He grew up there and by his early teens had developed a fierce interest in animals and wildlife. At fourteen, a local boy handed him a baby owl, and the course of his life shifted. He became obsessed with birds of prey and the ancient art of falconry.

This memoir follows five boys who discover the wildlife markets of Shenzhen, divert birds of prey from the soup pot, and teach themselves falconry in the hills above Hong Kong — guided only by books and a powerful desire to see these birds fly free.

What began as a boy's passion became a vocation. Rupert went on to spend nearly a decade as Senior Conservation Officer at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, conducting wildlife rehabilitation and educational displays. He later managed the RSPCA's wildlife centre in the UK, overseeing four thousand animal admissions a year. He has authored and contributed to published scientific research into the post-release survival of raptors and mammals, and conducted a review of Hong Kong wildlife protection legislation for the University of Hong Kong.