Roy Strang is engaged in a strange quest in a surrealist South Africa. His mission: to eradicate the evil predator-scavenger bird, the Marabou Stork, before it drives away the peace-loving flamingo from the picturesque Lake Torto. But behind this world lies another: the world of Roy s bizzare family, the Scottish housing scheme in which he grew up, his mundane job, a disasterous immigration to Africa, and his youthful life of brutality with a gang of soccer casuals. As one world crashes into the other, this potentially charming story of ornithological goodwill mutates into a filthy tale of violence, abuse and redemption.