Soren believes there must be a link between the reappearance of his long-lost sister and the disappearance of his mentor Ezylryb, and when he sets out to find Ezylryb, he stumbles across a truth that could lead to the destruction of the owl kingdom.
Soren, a barn owl that is captured and taken to a special school for orphaned owls, is befriended by elf owl Gylfie and together the two set out to discover what is really going on at St. Aegolius Academy.
Soren is called upon by the elders of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree to lead a crew of spies into St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls and escape undetected in order to gain the information the noble owls need to fend off an attack by Kludd and the Pure Ones.
Four young owls set out on a quest to the mythic Great Ga'hoole Tree in an attempt to acquire the powers that will enable them to defeat the evil which threatens their kingdom.