A white woman traveling by sea in the Torres Strait hears the cry of a strange local bird and later is told the legend of two brothers with an inquisitive and talkative sister. When fellow fishermen drink their water on the reef the brothers spear them in revenge, then abandon the sister on an island so she cannot betray them. She is transformed into the loudly crying 'Kwoka' bird. The story is told in front of a chattery and inquisitive young girl, who is compelled to take it as an object lesson, and learn to be quiet. By the end of the story her aspiring lover has actually proposed to her.