Sarah checks out her new school and teachers ready for the term to come, but is less than impressed by both the conditions of the building and the staff's lack approach to teaching. She also checks out the other pupils that will be attending there when she goes to a local stage production, where she encounters the Holly family, a family of nine who live in caravan type slums and who one of their daughter is rushed in to hospital with suspected appendicitis. The eldest daughter Lydia befriends the new neighbours Fred and Nancy Mitchell, who have had to move there when money became tight. While Nancy is snobbish about the area, Fred encourages Lydia's love for literature.