While Ben and his sister, Emma, are exploring the salt marsh of Quicksand Bay, they make a sickening discovery and find a badly injured Marsh Hawk.
They are about to take the hawk to CROW, a nearby wildlife rescue shelter, when they are confronted by a dirt-bike rider on a metallic-red machine. The rider offers to help but Ben mistrusts him. After an argument the rider angrily speeds away across the marsh trails.
At CROW, Ben meets a local wildlife conservation officer and learns that poachers are killing birds and wild animals and selling parts for thousands of dollars to overseas buyers.
Is the dirt-bike rider one of the poachers? From then on Ben, his sister, Emma and his friend, Jed, are on the trail of the mystery rider on the marsh.
When Bens pet crow, Jacky, is injured the children spend more and more time at CROW. Finally, Ben and Jacky trap the mystery rider and help the wildlife officer catch the gang of poachers.
