The story is told by the soon-to-be 10 years old daughter. Jewel and her younger brother Willie dream of having a pet dog but would settle for a cat. However, their father is allergic to cats and besides, both parents work and don't feel they have the time to properly attend to a pet. Then one day a friend of their mother's comes over for supper. The children talk about wanting a pet, and their mother tells her friend that she is too busy to care for one. The next day a delivery man shows up at their house with a small yellow parakeet in a large cage and a note from their mom's friend saying this is the perfect pet. They name him Yellow Bird. He settles in until one day, when he is out of his cage, their mother is bringing groceries in from the garage. Yellow bird escapes through the open garage and into the summer sky. Everyone is devastated and the family tries in many ways to find Yellow Bird. Jewel imagines that he is enjoying his freedom, racing the other birds to the treetops. She and Willie sit on the front porch most evenings scanning the sky, but they never see him. As summer ends and the nights become colder, Jewel worries how Yellow Bird will survive if he isn't found soon. With their dad, the children hang a cage from a tree in their front yard with food inside, hoping Yellow Bird is still nearby and will visit the cage. As the leaves fall from the trees, Jewel pictures him trying to hide from predators like hawks and foxes. She imagines what it must be like to soar above the houses and trees, but she also realizes that it's scary to live alone outside, especially at night. One morning as they are leaving for school, Jewel sees a bright yellow dot in a distant tree. At school she is unable to focus on what the teacher is saying. She tells the class about Yellow Bird, and they all wish him a safe return home. That very evening, when their dad checks the cage, he sees that some of the bird seed is missing. Jewel insists that no other bird or squirrel would go there except Yellow Bird. When Jewel and her father start back toward the house, Jewel glances back at the cage and thinks she sees it moving. They creep back toward the cage and sure enough - Yellow Bird is inside. Jewel stifles a shout of joy as her dad closes the door before he can escape. They bring the cage inside and release Yellow Bird into the room. The family is overjoyed that their precious pet has returned home. They promise never to lock him into his cage again, hoping in return that he will never want to fly away again. Jewel's mother writes the story of Yellow Bird and posts it online. Two reporters from a local newspaper come to the house and take photos of the family, then publish the story. Yellow Bird is now famous because after all these many months away, he managed to find his own way home.