It is early summer in a quiet English village. In the early morning, Magpies begin to fly straight upward into the sky and promptly disappear. Later that day, Alice comes to clean George’s cottage.

Alice talks to George jokingly about the odd Magpie behavior. Alice thinks George is attractive even though she is married and George is ten years older than her. George, however, is also interested in Alice. Though, he never settled down and pursued a career as a writer. Now he mainly writes short stories. He has a decent following. In his study, he can see a great distance. He watches the Magpies fly into the sky.

The man spends the day writing and the town is business as usual. In the evening, he goes to a pub called the Duck for dinner. He sees more Magpies rising on his way there. He sees the usual crowd in the rural pub.

The bartender, Colly, asks him about the birds. He pretends not to understand. A conversation begins about the birds’ odd behavior. Several people around the bar join in to talk about the Magpies. Life in the town is normal and quiet otherwise. George leaves the bar late and watches the sky from his cabin. He wakes up hearing wings flapping and goes to the window. Magpies are still rising.

One day, he goes into town to buy groceries. The clerk exchanges remarks about the birds with him. He read in a newspaper that an airplane crashed because of the Magpies’ interference.

Later, he receives a call from an ex-lover and actress from one of his plays, Lydia. Lydia tells him that the birds are only appearing in the British Ailes and that the activity stops at the sea. The area where the Magpies are rising loses telephone connection.

The increase in Magpies in the sky cause more fatalities. They can be seen by satellites in space. Armed forces try to shoot them down, but it is to no avail.

The rain in the area becomes polluted and a food-shortages becomes of concern. Many try to flee to the coast where the dome of Magpie activity ends, but the area appears abandoned. The only way to travel to and from Britain is by foot, which is a dangerous endeavor.

Armed forces use the Duck to store materials. The water supply begins to become polluted with dead birds, feathers, and bird droppings. The birds are also blocking sunlight and warmth. Thus, crops are dying, and the land is becoming infertile.

George spends time in the pub with lots of new and old people. Many refugees appear in the bar. George notices bruises on Alice. The birds had begun hitting people violently as they rush to the sky. He believes this is what happened to her.

Alice tells George she is scared. George takes her back to his cottage. The bartender gives them the last bottle of good wine before they leave. On the way to the cottage, Alice reveals that her husband, Todd, had abused her.

George wants to comfort her but is also lustful of her. He was so overcome with desire that he did not notice Magpies rising on their travels home. George thinks about how all the animals, not just the Magpies, had been acting odd lately.

George and Alice sleep together and Alice cries when they are finished. She falls asleep. When she wakes up she confesses her longtime attraction to George.

They talk about how their situation is like Daphne du Maurier’s The Birds—and the Hitchcock film adapted from that story. Alice is disturbed. George comforts her.

They go to sleep. George is awakened by an amorphous rumbling. In his dreams, he thought of a book he had read about the ill omens of Magpies. It is a bit before five AM and the sky is dark. Everything is quiet until a shrill call is heard. No Magpies are rising.

The holes in the sky begin to lighten and a loud crack is heard. Then, the sky of birds falls and covers the land. Trees and homes are eradicated. Entire buildings are buried under the carcasses of the Magpies.

Light emerges as the sun visibly rises in the east.