Eighteen-year-old Delilah Greyson has just joined the Defenders, an elite team that works to keep the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, safe from a series of supervillains who periodically attack, causing death and destruction. Among the Defenders are Jake, their arrogant and inconsistent leader, and David, the second-in-command whose inventions help keep the team going.

When Delilah learns that Jake has commandeered one of David's inventions, she decides to steal it back—both to help her friend and to get revenge on Jake, who has decided to make her initial time in the Defenders unpleasant. Intended to enhance human strength, the malfunctioning device had been locked up for safety—and Delilah soon learns the hard way that using the machine has unintended side effects. She gains the ability to turn into a giant bird. With her powers, she may be the city's only hope of defeating a giant amphibious monster and another superhuman struggling to control her own dangerous abilities. What's more, Delilah discovers that being the White Dove brings out a dark side of herself that she never imagined.

In this science fiction novel for young adults, a young woman gains superhuman powers and uses them to protect her city—with an unexpected cost to herself.