They break in and find the rest of Max's "flock", winged children named Peter, Wendy, Icarus, and Oz.

Frannie and Kit learn that the School planned to create an improved human race, with the scientists kidnapping newborns in order to experiment on them.

As the School begins an auction to sell off the surviving experiments, Kit and Frannie fight their way free to rescue the children, including Matthew, who was also recaptured.

While When the Wind Blows and The Lake House focused more on characterization, suspense, and the moral implications of genetic engineering, the "Maximum Ride" series was a science fiction adventure.

Patterson included a foreword to the first Maximum Ride book explaining that it took place in a different continuity and the similarities were minor, with only the names of Max and the School being the same.