An avid reader, ten-year-old Naomi Rose already knows the power of a good story. When her mother dies, Naomi's emotional struggle is exacerbated by her attempts to appease her father's demands for self-restraint and composure.

With her father increasingly turning to the bottle for solace, Naomi seeks attention elsewhere, devising highly embellished tales to shock her classmates and delighting in their reaction. When she is befriended by Ozzy, a charismatic, confident Turkish boy, Naomi believes she has finally found someone she can trust. But when Ozzy embarks on a relationship with Naomi's nemesis, Molly, it leads to divided loyalties and, once again, Naomi is left alone and desperate.

As her hopes unravel, she is drawn to Mr Adams, the popular young English teacher who applauds and nurtures her talent for writing. Interest quickly turns to obsession and Mr Adams' naivety makes him an easy target. When a chance arises to command her father's attention whilst simultaneously punishing Mr Adams for his rejection of her, it is too good an opportunity to miss.