But then one day Mao, the Great Helmsman, orders the extermination of all sparrows because they are eating the harvest. Dong Tjong has to construct catapults with his students and deliver a bag full of dead sparrows to the authorities every week. Dong comes up with a plan to rescue the sparrows, thereby putting himself and his wife at risk. In a clear style, Dirk-Jan Hoek paints a fine picture of communist China, covering a dark chapter in the country’s recent history.