After the death of her mother and a struggle with her own illness, ornithologist Joanna returns to her research project. Trying to prove to herself that she has overcome all hardships, she investigates bird nesting in rural Illinois from morning to night. But one day, Joanna's established routine is disrupted by a mysterious girl who appears on her doorstep, barefoot and battered. The girl calls herself Ursa and claims to have come from a distant galaxy to live among humans until she witnesses five miracles. Worried that the child has run away from home, Joanna reluctantly agrees to let him stay with her for a while. In the meantime, he intends to find out where Ursa is from and if he can return there safely. In solving this mystery, he turns to his neighbor, the reclusive and withdrawn Gabriel Nash, for help. But with each passing day that Jo and Gabe spend with Ursa, more unanswered questions and suspicions grow. How is it that a little girl not only reads but also understands Shakespeare? Why are good things happening around her all of a sudden? And why isn't a couple of adults looking at a website dedicated to missing children as often as it was in the beginning? Although the shamrock has an incredibly strong bond, everyone knows that the end of summer will bring tough decisions. Before Ursa sees the last miracle, painful secrets will emerge from the past - and the fates of all three friends will be in the stars.