An old woman known only as "the pigeon lady" spends nearly every day tending the downtown green of a fine old town on the river. No one knows her real name or where she came from; they only know they always feel better after talking with her and seeing her smiling face. Then one day, she does not come to the green and people wonder what has become of her. A young girl named Olive accidentally finds out who the pigeon lady truly is, and this discovery changes her life.