An adolescent boy and pal trace the cause of disappearing fish from the family’s pond to his beloved father’s chemical plant. 

SYNOPSIS:

In this seamless family drama, assertive sixth grader Alex and portly pal, Kevin, follow the trail of stolen fish from the family pond to a large heron’s nest along Big River. There, the unsettling picture of starving and deformed baby herons puts both boys in the unexpected roles of caretaker parents. But, hauling tadpoles from a forest pond and fish from his mother’s kitchen gets old fast, addressing symptoms but not root causes.

Problems are the increased flow of warmer river water and pollution itself, lots of it, pouring into the rivers, poisoning the fish that are the herons’ natural food-prey and causing birth defects in their babies.

Caitlin, 14, a school chum and neighbor, whose got no bones about plain-talking confrontations, ties a newspaper article from her Social Studies class to Alex’s father’s corporate employer as one of the main polluters. Like a revealed check, Alex’s dad has become the heron’s enemy in his son’s eyes. The kids mount a demonstration at the offending Smith Chemicals, his father’s employer, which garners media coverage, but Alex’s grades are suffering and the Attendance office has been calling home.

A newspaper photo of Alex with placards in hand in front of Smith’s corporate headquarters makes his father feel betrayed, his mother proud but stops the effluents from flowing into Big River, a sure triumph. But an accident occurs that forces Alex’s dad to confront his personal dilemma of which comes first: career or standing fast for his family and possibly losing the respect and friendship of his son.