Jennie is as close to her grandfather as a mouse can be, and when he suddenly dies she keeps thinking she sees him turning a corner, sitting on a bench, heading for the pier, or walking along their beloved beach, seeking the elusive Queen's teacup seashell.
On her sixth birthday, Julietta's grandfather gives her one of his beautiful homing pigeons and tells her a story of his experience raising and training doves in Italy during the Great War.