For eleven-year-old Ellie Fairbairn, exiled to the tiny Highland village of Inchbrae, the summer of 1959 is rich with discoveries. She is sent to stay with Dot, the grandmother she hardly knows, who turns out to be partial to whisky and none too keen on housework. Worst of all, Dot has never been married -- and once Ellie discovers this shameful secret she's determined to find her missing grandfather. She's drawn into the life of Inchbrae: its friendships, its secrets and its larger-than-life characters, not least Hooligan, an old stray mongrel who captures her heart.