Coo-Coo 043

The sound of wings reverberates through the air. In the murky half-light, race pigeon 043 has finally returned after seven years. 043 wasn’t the only one that went missing seven years ago; the other was their son, Shih, whose disappearance remains the irreparable wound in Pigeon Master Ching’s heart. The family’s barely-maintained peace is shattered by 043’s return, as Ching’s daughter, Lulu, brings a beaten-up boy named Tig back home.

At first reluctant, Ching begins to see shades of Shih in Tig. After all, breeding pigeons with his son was his biggest wish. But wild pigeons can’t change their ways. Lulu leaves abruptly and never comes back. Ching’s wife, Ming, is also tempted to leave. She stealthily begins legal proceedings to declare Shih deceased. Thunder booms vaguely afar; a typhoon emerges on the horizon. Grandpa’s death is the last straw that breaks this family’s back. In the aftershock of the storm, what course should the wounded follow?