Lisa Grankvist arrives in England via boat-train from Calais, carrying a distressing secret along with luggage containing, among other things, her father's tools and teeth. She takes up residence in the swinging London of 1965 and she soon finds her way in the worlds of fashion and music, knitting Mary Quaint-like dresses and sweaters and brushing with the greatness of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix. She develops a small circle of friends and experiences a life dramatically different from the mean-spirited upbringing visited upon her by an unbalanced and unhappy mother.