Richard, a sparrow who was adopted by a stork family, is wintering at the Great Lake in Northern Africa. When he realises that he won’t be the one to lead his flock back North, Richard decides to fly away to travel on his own and crosses paths with Samia and her sparrow flock, who are being held captive by evil marabous under the control of the greedy peacock Zamano. The only chance of freedom for the sparrows is to solve a riddle and find the Great Jewel, which will call upon teamwork, trust and most of all- spork (sparrow + stork) skills.
Richard - a sparrow - is adopted by and grows up with a stork family, convinced he is himself a stork; problems arise when the storks, as migratory birds, leave for Africa to spend the winter. He wants to go, too, and starts hitchhiking through Europe, by bus, train and boat, joined by an eccentric owl and a narcissistic, disco-singing parakeet to prove to his stork family that he's a stork.