Chirpy's mum is in a mental hospital - a 'home' - far away because she is 'too sweet' and can't cope with the world. Chirpy has inherited some of the same problem. She is shy and lonely and misses her mum very much. But she is also imaginative and loving, and her inner life is very important to her. Dad is busy and sometimes grumpy because he has so much to do in the house. Chirpy doesn't really know why her mum has gone away, and she is afraid to ask. A boy called Boldy shows that he wants to be friends with Chirpy, and because he is also imaginative and sensitive, she responds. She also makes friends with a cat she hears crying in the night. And she learns not to be afraid of the sun. Mum comes home in the end, and there is every hope she will be able to stay. An odd little story. Told in the present tense, much of the action takes place in Chirpy's head. Lyrical and unusual.