St. Clare's boarding-school has some interesting newcomers. Claudine, the French mistress' niece, who causes great excitement by doing and saying exactly what she likes; Eileen, a reserved girl who is later identified as a sneak thief, whose mother is the new matron; Pauline, a wannabe rich girl who is soon discovered to be snobbish and conceited and continuously brags about her family's 'wealth'; and Angela, who is a beautiful, well dressed, rich and spoiled society girl. Alison O'Sullivan, the twins' rather silly, 'feather-headed' cousin, meets and befriends Angela. Soon, Alison is completely under the spoilt, snobbish Angela's spell.
