Jenny Burton’s sister Sheena, a champion swimmer, had died while competing abroad. As a result Jenny’s mother became a changed person hating swimming and blaming it for Sheena’s death. Jenny resolved to win the Castleworth cup, a local swimming competition in the hopes it would restore the family to normal.
Charlotte “Charley” Evans is an orphan living in a remote Welsh valley. A visiting headmaster offers her a place at his school, after seeing her swim. His only interest in her is that wants to win an award of £1000 for a school that can produce a Channel swimmer.
Diane Lucas and Carolyn Fisher, see a synchronised swimming show while on a school trip and are interested in learning more about it. A local councillor hires on Dot Cameron as a second coach at the swimming pool. The team become the Mermaids.
Other Appearances:
Sheila Hall was the first exciting prospect the Dolphin Swimming Club had produced since the days of Jean Holt, a former coach at the Dolphin. Jean had mysteriously vanished shortly after Sheila’s aunt, Anne Jordan, was attacked. Anne Jordan, the Club’s secretary, was left paralysed and without any memory. Now the Club coach was Ethel Smythe, but then a mysterious woman known as the Whispering Shadow appeared at the Club. The Shadow, a superb swimmer, opposed Ethel Smythe’s training methods and began to take over Sheila’s coaching herself.
Susan Prentice was a brilliant swimmer whose talent had been discovered by her teacher, Miss Glover. Susan was being coached to develop her talent without the knowledge of her parents, who insisted that she worked all her spare time in their transport cafe.
Joan Porter and her friends, all keen swimmers, are training to put on a public display of Water Ballet for charity. They are being coached by Ann Powell, an olympic diver, now confined to a wheelchair as the result of a diving accident. Ann’s Aunt Rebecca, who owns the pool where they practice, is not happy with the idea at first, but is soon won over by the girls. Other problems arise though as part of Rebecca’s land, along with the pool, is needed to build a motorway.
