It is the story of a young girl Laura who encounters the conventionality of school society with great persistence. The story starts when admitted in a boarding school in Melbourne, Laura tries hard to adjust but as the author writes "She could not know then...the right hole...seeming unfitness prove to be only another aspect of...special fitness." The girls at the school are generally from rather wealthy families and those, like Laura, who come from less fortunate backgrounds learn very early not to divulge their circumstances for fear of ridicule. From time to time Laura lets little snippets of information about her family slip out, and she suffers for it.