A storm causes a Universal Dynamics cargo ship to lose ROZZUM robots, which wash up on an uninhabited island. Only ROZZUM Unit 7134 ("Roz") survives and is accidentally activated by wildlife. Roz frightens the animals and injures herself while trying to help them, even after learning their language. Unable to find anyone needing her services, Roz signals for retrieval, but she is struck by lightning and attacked by animals. While fleeing an aggressive grizzly bear, she accidentally crushes a goose nest, resulting in the deaths of all the birds and eggs except one egg.
Roz protects the egg from a hungry fox, Fink. A gosling hatches and imprints on Roz. It breaks her long-range transponder. Following advice from Pinktail, an opossum with many youngsters, Roz cares for the gosling to ensure he can fly before the winter migration. Fink discovers he can benefit from Roz, who builds a shelter. Roz names the gosling Brightbill, and the three cohabit. As Brightbill grows, he learns to swim but is mocked by other geese. When Brightbill discovers Roz killed his family, he feels betrayed and angrily disowns her before storming off.
