When Gemma's Dad is mistakenly arrested for housebreaking, she is forced to go on the run. With her hair cut short, she passes herself off as a boy called Jimmy Scar, and hides out with an eccentric old woman who teaches her self-sufficiency. But who is the old woman? Why does Gemma feel so at home with her, and will she manage to clear her dad's name? Jeanne Willis' remarkable tale of survival against the odds has a wonderfully happy ending, while leaving the reader with much to consider about integrity and who we are.