Noctus, the owl, never gets tired to telling epic stories about the Guardians of Ga'Hoole to his young barn owlets Kludd, Soren and their younger sister Eglantine. Soren and Eglantine love the story but jealous Kludd gets bored with the tales of the protectors of the Kingdom of Ga'Hoole. One day, Soren and Kludd fall out of their nest while learning to fly alone and they are kidnapped by evil owls to work for Metalbeak and Nyra. The owlets are divided in soldiers or workers in the Pelletorium. Soren befriends the elf owl Gylfie and they learn that the owlets are "moon-blinked" by the moon while sleeping, and while awake brainwashed. They manage to fight the brainwashing and Gylfie's captor Grimble teaches them how to fly. They meet the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and together fight against Metalbeak and Nyra and the evil army of The Pure Ones.