 Is a convent anyplace for a boy? Gabriël is a lad of about eight, probably a foundling, who lives in a convent, the only child among about 20 nuns. Except for Sylvia, a young nun, Gabriël doesn t get on well with others. He thinks of himself as an angel, impatient to grow wings and to fly, impatient with earth s rules. He s been collecting feathers from the many geese on the convent grounds. What happens next seems to horrify everyone except Sylvia, who may be in on Gabriël s secret.