The book is the journal of the criminal Arthur Artimus, and documents the rise and fall of his gang. The gang was known in local folk tales as "the bandits of the golden claw" (according to the bird book), though this may not have been the gang's real name. They did eventually tame an eagle well enough to use it as a transport system. They flew it over East Ardougne, where they stole some bread from a market stall using a fishing net. The gang's demise ultimately came when they chose to ignore the Mysterious Old Man who apparently appeared as part of a random event.