Sad when the swallows leave for the winter, young Juan prepares to welcome them back to the old California Mission at Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day the next spring.
A very rare pitacohi bird falls in love with a swallow and plucks his colorful feathers to transform dry, barren San Juan Capistrano into a haven of flowers and flowing water, which the swallows can easily find when returning from their annual migration.
Stowing away in the back of a truck that carries interesting-looking food, a curious young sparrow takes a voyage through the rice paddies of India, across the sea, and into a new city, where he transforms the life of a girl at a cafe.
This book consists of a collection of memories from the hardy pioneer families who settled at Swallows, Colorado in the Arkansas river Valley. To preserve the nature of the memories family contribution are printed as they were submitted without editing.