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Arrival at Hawk's Nest
Nick Freestone's mother's apartment where him and his mom were living was destroyed in the Battle of Britain, so Nick was sent to Burma where his father lives to stay with them. He meets Hilltop, a Burmese mahout who is famous throughout the country. He also makes friends with Hilltop's great-grandchildren Mya and Indaw. Nick moves into the Freestone's plantation Hawk's Nest to stay safe away from the war as best as he can. -
Elephant Attack
Nick was attacked by Hannibal the elephant and his ribs were cracked, but he made the mistake of not telling anyone about the attack and made up a lie that he slipped on one of the trails because he was very embarrassed. -
Japanese Invasion
Jackson Freestone and Indaw are taken by the Japanese as POWs to another plantation. Nick and Mya stay at Hawk's Nest under complete Japanese guard. Nick soon gets a letter from his father saying that he was transported from a camp for British and Australian prisoners in Singapore to a camp in Burma. -
The Secret Passageways
A Buddhist monk from India named Taung Baw (Hilltop) shows a secret passage that was in the house to Nick and Mya. Everyone later believes that they escaped the house when they were actually in the tunnels the whole time. From then on, Hilltop shows the passages that link to Hawk's Nest. On their day of escape, Hilltop instructs Nick and Mya to dusguise themselves as novice monks, and in the tunnels, they shave their heads and eyebrows to look like a novice monk and learn the ways of the monk. -
Trapped
In a nearby village, Nick and Mya are trapped by Captain Moto who wants to find and catch the theif Kya Lei (Tiger's Breath,) the Robin Hood of Burma. -
Letter
Nick and Mya wake up alone to a letter from Hilltop saying he would be back in a couple of days, and not to worry or go anywhere without him. He went to the prison camp. Kya Lei found Nick and Mya in the forest and gives them directions to each camp. Each day, they get closer and closer to Jackson Freestone and Indaw. -
Sargeant Sonji
Hilltop trustingly asks Sonji for help with Jackson Freestone's escape from the prison camp. Sonji agrees and pretends to bury Jackson alive when he is on burial duty, and gives Hilltop the sign while Nick is thinking his father is dead because he was not informed of the plan. Hilltop and Nick climb down from the tree and start to dig up Mr. Freestone who is breathing through the hollow bamboo cross. They uncover him and to Nick's surprise, his father is alive. -
Caught
Nick, Mya, Hilltop, Indaw, and Jackson all escaped into the forest until they are caught by Captain Moto and Bukong who say that Jackson and Indaw are to be executed and Mya is to marry Bukong after the war. -
Hannibal the Hero
Captain Moto demanded to know where Kya Lei is. Hannibal saved them not because of Bukong threatening his mahout, but the tiger skin seats and him being in musth. Bukong and Moto are killed and their guards are shot by Bernard (Nick's step father), Kya Lei, and a Kachin guerrilla. -
Parting
Bernard decides to send Nick, Mya, Hilltop, Jackson and Indaw to Bengal. Hilltop declines the offer to go to India because me must stay with Hannibal who is not in good condition. -
End Of WWII
At the end of the war, Nick's mother decides to go to the U.S. and Nick chooses to stay with his father. When they moved to Alice Springs the people had made fun of the ways Nick's father used in Burma but the cattle business turned out to be one of the most successful businesses in that region. Soon afterward at Nick's 18th birthday they find out that WWII has ended and everyone reunites.
