Elizabeth loves fish, and has a pet guppy, but she wants more until one day larger and larger fish begin plopping out of the water faucet in the bathroom.
Constance's parents and teachers decide that she needs to be sent to a strict boarding school but Constance, determined to reunite with her beloved cat, Tiny, devises a plan to return home.
A shared dream carries family members out of their drab life into a finer world of music and travel, a dream later fulfilled by the youngest daughter when she becomes a parent herself.
Discusses typical feelings and incidents encountered by a child when a parent is seriously ill or hurt, as well as how it affects the entire family, and suggests ways to deal with such situations.