Fairacre is a village of cottages, a church and the school - and at the heart of the school, its headmistress, Miss Read. Through her discerning eye, we meet the villagers of Fairacre and see their trials and tribulations, from the irascible school cleaner Mrs Pringle, to the young schoolchildren with their scraped knees, hopeful faces and inevitable mischief. Miss Read takes us through the school year, beginning with the Christmas term when the bitterly cold weather challenges the school's ancient heating system, right through to the hot summer day when school is over for another year.