Judith Dunbar is sent off to boarding school in pre-war England when her parents move to the Orient but she is befriended by the wealthy Loveday Carly-Lewis, spending many happy holidays at the Carly-Lewis estate until World War II erupts and changes all their lives.

The death of one of their friends causes a group of men who have been companions since World War II to take stock of their lives.

The four eccentric Casson siblings each contribute written accounts of the events--which include a Valentine's Day dance, the appearance of a sinister balloon, and the breakdown of a car--that lead to Caddy's wedding day.

Emily Williams, a sixteen-year-old American transplant to England, decides to fulfill her work-study requirement by working on her aunt's sheep farm in Scotland for a month, and becomes involved in a competition with her mousy friend Holly for the attentions of a farmhand they have both decided is a "hottie."

Having upset the balance between the warring statues of London, twelve-year-old George is confronted with new challenges as he tries to free his captured friends Edie and The Gunner from the formidable Walker and deal with the three strange veins of marble, bronze, and stone that have begun to grow out of his hand.

While trying to reconnect with her friend Tom, who has returned to the United States without leaving a forwarding address, eight-year-old Rose inadvertently discovers the identity of her adopted sister Saffy's father.

Eloise Kelly, a Harvard scholar, travels to England to complete her dissertation, discovers the secret of the most elusive spy of all time, the Pink Carnation, his romance that nearly changed world events, and a romance of her own.