The renowned scientist collects stories of endangered species that have beaten the odds, including the American crocodile, the California condor, and the black-footed ferret, interweaving her own experiences in the field with tales of the accomplishments of premier scientists.

Jane's feather -- Lost in the wild. Black-footed ferret ; Mala or Rufous Hare-wallaby ; California condor ; Milu or Père David's deer ; Red wolf ; Thane's field notes : Tahki or Przewalski's horse -- Saved at the eleventh hour. Golden lion tamarin ; American crocodile ; Peregrine falcon ; American burying beetle ; Crested ibis ; Whooping crane ; Angonoka or Ploughshare tortoise ; Formosan landlocked salmon ; Vancouver Island marmot ; Thane's field notes : Sumatran rhino ; Gray wolf -- Never giving up. Iberian lynx ; Bactrian camel ; Giant panda ; Pygmy hog ; Northern bald ibis or Waldrapp ; Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit ; Attwater's prairie chicken ; Asian vultures ; Hawaiian goose or Nene ; Thane's field notes : Cotton-top tamarin ; Panamanian golden frog -- The heroic struggle to save our island birds. Black robin or Chatham Island robin ; Abbott's booby ; Bermuda petrel or Cahow ; The birds of Mauritius ; Short-tailed albatross or Steller's albatross ; Thane's field notes : Blue-and-gold macaw -- The thrill of discovery. New discoveries : species still being discovered ; The Lazarus Syndrome : species believed extinct and recently found ; Living fossils : ancient species recently discovered -- The nature of hope. Healing Earth's scars : it's never too late ; Why save endangered species? -- What you can do.