The poem begins with the birds of the world gathering at a conference to discuss if their species is in need of a king. The speaker welcomes several types of birds individually, starting with the hoopoe. The speaker names the hoopoe as guide of the other birds, noting that the biblical King Solomon trusted the hoopoe to carry messages to the Queen of Sheba. The speaker then addresses many other birds present at the conference and implores each of them to take their impending spiritual journey.

The birds have assembled in order to find a king for their nation. They reason that every nation must have a king, and in order to have a justly run government, they must have a Sovereign leader, too. The birds begin to argue the best way to procure a king when the hoopoe comes forward. He tells the conference that he comes to them with a divine purpose and details all the ways in which he is trustworthy. He then says that they already have a king, the Simorgh, and though he lives far away, he is always near the birds. The hoopoe describes the majesty of the Simorgh, and asks the birds to carefully consider the arduousness of the journey to find the Sovereign before joining the hoopoe on his quest.