We first meet Michael at the start of World War II, when his beloved daddy has been killed, for reasons best known to herself, Eva, Michael's mother has decided they should live at the 'Roselea' a seaside hotel. Living there are a mixture of residents (usually on the elderly side) and ordinary guests. It is not an auspicious start for Michael as he is shown to his room - a bed in the hotel's hairdressing parlour Luckily reading is one of his favourite pastimes and he manages to escape reality from time to time in his books, he often tries to emulate his hero 'Just William' (with varying degrees of success), he soon settles down however, and finds that living in a hotel does have compensations. There are the visiting R.A.F. Officers for one, sweet little old ladies to be helped (with sixpence being the standard reward ) The odd flies in the ointment appear in the form of Mr Bayne the oily proprietor and Michael's elder brother Nigel, not to mention two men who are attracted to his mother