The story starts in Isabella's childhood, where she first develops a fascination with dragons after learning how to preserve sparklings in vinegar from her cook. She also becomes interested in what the wishbone of a chicken does, causing her to attempt to dissect a dead dove. She is discovered by a stableboy, who tells her father, who after punishing her, gives her a book on avian anatomy. This kickstarts her real interests in biology, as she gets her brother,Andrew,to take books from their father's library. Eventually she is able to acquire "A Natural History of Dragons", a book which causes her to become obsessed with the species.