Sixteen-year-old Alice MacLeod's life as an outcast begins to change when she experiments with being friends with different sorts of people, tries drinking alcohol and eating meat, and competes in the Miss Smithers beauty pageant.

"Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Shy in Avon-upon-Kynt. And for eighteen years, Emmaline Watkins has feared that her future held just that: nothing. But when the head of the most admired fashion house in the country opens her prestigious design competition to girls from outside the stylish capital city, Emmy's dreams seem closer than they ever have before. As the first 'country girl' to compete, Emmy knows she'll encounter extra hurdles...

For years, Jitty, Dahlia House's resident ghost, has dreamed that Sarah Booth Delaney would have a child. It looks like Jitty's dream will finally come true, and Sarah Booth is crushed when it doesn't. Depressed, Sarah Booth finally allows her best friend to whisk her away for a luxurious weekend vacation at a special spa and cooking school. The pampering and food go a long way toward making her feel like her old self, but there's another welcome...