Hannah is used to living a life of privilege. A big house, luxury holidays, lavish presents - she's always assumed she'll have them forever. But when her father files for bankruptcy, everything changes - and fast.

Suddenly, her family is living in the middle of the country in a run-down bungalow. She and her sister, Esther, have to walk miles to catch the bus to the local school, and their dad has turned into a sloth. Then Hannah meets Miss Ada and Miss Lily, who have lived in a nearby cottage all their lives. They're full of stories of the past, and before long Hannah finds herself drawn into the world of their childhood. In place of the two old women she sees two energetic girls - whose problems are even worse than Hannah's own . . .