Primrose's father gets lost at sea and her mother goes to look for him, but they do not return. Primrose worries about her parents alone. The story is set in Coal Harbor, Canada and follows Primrose, a 12-year-old girl, as she deals with her missing parents and is placed with foster parents. Major events include Primrose losing a toe and finger tip, a fire at the Girl on the Red Swing where the class guinea pig is caught, and the town houses burning down.

3. Setting : Coal Harbor, Canada Characters : Primrose, Miss. Honeycut, Mrs. Perfidy, Evie, Bert, Uncle Jack, Miss. Bowzer, Leana Primrose: A happy, observant, red haired, and freckled 12 year old girl. Miss. Honeycut: A bossy woman, who talks in anodes and doesn’t notice things. Mrs. Perfidy: An old woman, losing her memory. Evie: A happy old woman that enter ups people. Bert: Calm and chill! He has a pipe, and him and Evie were Primrose’s foster perents. Uncle Jack: He sells houses, and is kind of strict. Miss Bowzer: She owns the Girl on the Red Swing. Leana: Leana doesn’t care about her kids!! And is a bite crazy about making boiled potatos.