Chang is mute, unable to speak but he can mimic the sounds of birds and communicate with the family’s cormorants. He is entrusted for the first time to help his dad with fishing with their cormorants and that leads to his helping care for the baby cormorant they are raising to add to the flock. He has also befriended Mei Mei but doesn’t quite trust her brother Jinan who has been teasing Chang for being mute. Even when Jinan is grateful for Chang fishing his bike out of the water and seems nice, Chang is on guard. For good reason, because Jinan sneaks out the baby cormorant as a joke and nearly kills it. Chang and Mei Mei save the bird and it lives; the experience strengthens Chang and he can stand up to Jinan.