Finn travels the world in a magical quest to find the golden bird, in the company of a wise old fox. Rory releases a captured mermaid from his fishing net, and her father gives him a ring that will bring him his heart's desire. Bahram saves the life of a cat, a dog and a snake so, when he loses all he loves, the three beasts join together to help him. Jack and his mam are poor and homeless, but with the gift of a stick, a feather and a mechanical singing bird, Jack fights giants and outwits a dragon to win the hand of the squire's daughter. Prince Ivan sets out to find his long-lost sisters with nothing but his harp and his own wits, while Gervaise joins forces with a serving-maid to rescue his best friend from the wicked enchantment of an unnaturally beautiful princess. And Perseus sets out, with the help of the gods, to defeat the gorgon whose glance has the power to turn all living things to stone. With an introduction by Jack Zipes, The Gardener's Son and the Golden Bird & Other Tales of Gentle Young Men contains tales from Russia, Scotland, Iraq, England, Wales, Greece, Ireland and the Appalachian Mountains.