Opal Plumstead is 12 years old when her father is sentenced to two years' hard labour for embezzlement. The moment everyone hears about it, they refuse to have any contact with her or her family and she is even forced to say goodbye to her best friend, Olivia. She also has to give up her scholarship, as with her father gone, there is not a great deal of money coming in, so she goes to work the the Fairy Glen Sweet Factory.
While she is there she is unfortunate enough to be working with a whole gang of older girls who taunt and tease her. One day the leader of the group finds out about her father and the taunting gets worse. Opal snaps and she and the girl have a tense fight. The owner of the factory, Mrs Roberts, witnesses it, and she decides to move Opal into the Design Department.
This is when Opal discovers that Mrs Roberts is a member of the Suffragettes. They meet up at a Suffragette committee meeting, where Opal is invited to Mrs Roberts' impressive home. She is then introduced to her teenage son, Morgan, and a relationship blossoms. Could this turn out to be the love of her life? And what will she do when her older sister Cassie runs off with a rich painter?
This book is perfect for any devoted Jacqueline Wilson fan, and plucky, talented Opal is a character sure to be loved by many.
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