Peggy Taylor’s parents suddenly die in a crash. Already emotionally disturbed from it all, Peggy feels unwanted when her only surviving relatives decline to take her, and she can’t take to the home she is sent to. She runs away to neighbour Mrs Collins, hoping Mrs Collins will take her in.
When Penny Poole’s mother dies, Penny and her siblings are left orphaned and homeless. Penny has promised she will keep the family together and they move into a cottage given to them by Penny’s employer, Farmer Young. But disaster of some sort or other for the Pooles is always around the corner.
When Liz and Di Johnson’s parents died, their wealthy grandmother traced them to the fairground where they lived. She wanted Liz, who strongly resembled her father, to stay at the family home, but as the girls vowed never to be parted, Grandmother reluctantly let Di come too.
Carrie Cole lived in London in Victorian times. When her father died, she was left to look after her brother Joe and sisters Beth and Violet. To keep her family out of the workhouse, Carrie, decided to make a living driving her father’s horse and cab, to the annoyance of some of the other drivers. Life was a struggle, but Carrie was determined to make a go of things.
Dorothy Carr was a blind orphan and worked as a street musician for two heartless women, Aunt Eliza and Aunt Martha, who specialised in taking in crippled orphans and forcing them to beg. Dorothy regained her sight after a fall, but kept it secret so she could help the other kids.
Toni Barton and Pauline Rodgers are both adopted by a kind and well-off couple, the Fletchers. Toni is charming and affectionate, while Pauline is quiet and withdrawn. Toni wants their new parents all to herself and tries to get rid of Pauline while ingratiating herself with the couple. Pauline, being a bit weak-willed, doesn’t do much to stand up for herself, but she finally does so when Toni tries to frame her for cheating and stealing. The father believes Pauline as he had been suspicious of Toni for a while, and he sends her away. Pauline now has the couple to herself, and finally starts calling them Mum and Dad. She also starts coming out of her shell a bit more.
Three orphans, Flossie, Jackey and Alice find an abandoned baby that the nickname Little Nipper. Nipper has a locket with pictures inside that could be his parents and Flossie is determined to find them.
Polly, Vicky and Albert Parkin were trying to support themselves after the death of their parents, to avoid being sent to the Town Orphanage. They were helped by their poor but good-hearted neighbours in Paradise Row.
