Sissy is in her first job as a kitchen maid in a large Victorian London household. Her mother desperately needs the money she earns to support her younger siblings, but Sissy is accident prone and the irascible cook threatens to sack her. With Sissy's brother feared killed in the war in the Crimea, disaster looms for Sissy and her family. Then a dramatic encounter with the writer Charles Dickens brings a change in fortune. This delightful play brings Victorian London and its people to life and provides a variety of opportunities for KS2 classes to explore both historical and literacy topics in an involving and creative setting.