[1] The novel contains two central characters, both fourteen years of age: the first, Aurora Thorpe, has been forced by her overprotective mother and stepfather to attend the prestigious St Dymphna's Non-Denominational Ladies' College.

The second, also attending St Dymphna's, is Web Richardson, an outcast from a single parent family.

In an abruptly unfamiliar environment, and under the pressure of family and social expectations, Aurora becomes increasingly concerned with losing weight as a means of achieving the acceptance of her peers and living up to her own rigorous standards.

Meanwhile, Web endures life without a mother, having only the scant guidance of her timid father, overbearing aunt, bitter grandfather and volatile older sister to rely on.

Web desperately tries to stop Aurora from "disappearing", at the same time struggling with her mother's absence and the need for a friend.