Growing up, Birdy dreams of flying like the canaries he fastidiously studies, and he shares these fantasies with his best friend Al. Years later during World War II, both young men wind up in hospitals. Al has physical wounds, while Birdy -- who has adapted the mannerisms of a bird and refuses to act human -- is being treated for psychological trauma. Has Birdy truly lost his mind, or has he invented an elaborate scheme to avoid further duty? It is up to Al to try and get through to his old friend.