The exquisite jacket-which features delicate red lettering on a damask-patterned gold background and a cutout revealing a painting of a nightingale. Death is about to claim the Emperor, "the whole room filled with the most beautiful singing. It was the nightingale, perched on a branch right outside the window. She had heard about the Emperor's sickness and had come to bring him hope and comfort with her song." In one panel, the bird perches on a gnarled pine branch above the ornate porcelain curlicues and red tiles of the imperial palace; the next shows the reviving Emperor, his crown askew and his brocade robes creased, raising himself up to hear the voice of his loyal friend as the specter of Death departs.

The classic Andersen tale of a songbird's mystical powers is retold in a style meant to be "light, clear, swift, and funny." This updated version includes some new elements, among them an amusing scene in which a search party mistakes the sounds of a cow and frog for the nightingale's song. Contemporary phrases are sprinkled throughout the text. Travelers "ooh" and "ahh" at the sight of the emperor's porcelain palace and gardens. The kitchen girl is promised a "promotion" if she leads them to the nightingale. Eleven butchers' children are named in honor of the bird, including one who is "tone-deaf." The entire kingdom, from the emperor to "rag-a-muffins in the street."