The Bird’s Nest is set in the mid-1950’s, rural New Zealand. Alex Hayward returns from the Korean War and gets into a scuffle with an army mate, which ends in his friend’s death. As a trained killer, this will not look good so he decides to hide in a local area of native bush known as The Bird’s Nest until the incident is hopefully forgotten about – or he can decide what to do. Before he retreats to his hideout, he meets a girl called Ruby. She travels to London and then to Sydney and finally, returns to New Zealand with a professor who is writing about Ley Lines. While living in The Bird’s Nest, Alex manages to rid the area of its predators, i.e. fallow deer and possums which are damaging the native flora. He makes some very surprising discoveries while there, which rangely,
heal his troubled past. A Detective Inspector is following up leads to find out how Vincent Armitage died in Fort Lane and finally comes to his conclusion about Alex Hayward.