Erin is fifteen, the eldest of a big family. Her mum died six months ago. Her dad burns the mince, puts Flash in the washing machine, making their clothes all gritty; he can't get to grips with looking after eight young children. She copes with the chaos by trying to please her English teacher and memorise the words of a long poem she doesn't understand by William Wordsworth. Her brother Paul does a runner after their mum's funeral, ends up being taken away to stay with their aunt in Oban. Their dad gets worse, misses his eldest boy to talk to about the team digging in, and the midfield being weak. Erin decides she'll need to bring Paul home because her mum's voice in her head tells her she should. She's never been on a train on her own but makes it to Glasgow Central Station where she meets Donna, a homeless girl with blue streaked hair. Erin knew exactly what she had to do to makes things better until Donna says they could get a flat together, giving Erin the chance of a new kind of life.