The novel begins in 2016. Rami Elhanan, a 67-year-old Israeli man, adroitly drives his motorcycle through the West Bank between the Israeli city of Gilo and the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

The story shifts back in time. It is the second busiest migratory bird passage in the world, with a panoply of different bird types passing through. The influx of birds also brings predatory species. To combat this, shepherds of ancient eras created slingshots to scare those birds away from their flock. The slingshots were created for protection but eventually made their way into warfare as weapons. During war times, children still used slingshots to knock birds from the sky. The birds were then captured, blinded, and fed until they became fat, and then they were killed, cooked, and served as food.

Rami notices the clock on his motorcycle and his watch are an hour apart, which reminds him that for a few days Israel and Palestine are an hour different due to daylight savings despite being in the same area. He decides to drive around to kill time.

Ten-year-old Abir is hit with a rubber bullet in the back of the head on her way to the store to buy candy; it crushes the bones in her skull.