Beppo, a young boy coming from a poor background, is informally adopted by "Old Man" Tate, whose level of wealth is enough to give him a comfortable living. However, upon settling into his new home village of Kendal, Beppo is quick to find out that he's also inherited a feud that's been going on between his newly adopted father and the next-door neighbor Mrs. Belmont; said feud extends to the children, as Mrs. Belmont's daughter Daphne immediately dislikes Beppo simply because of his association with the Old Man.
Nonetheless, Beppo finds Daphne intriguing and sets out to learn all he can about her. Unfortunately, this gets him into trouble with another neighbor named Teppy, a schemer who immediately blackmails Beppo into providing victuals for him in exchange for not telling the Old Man of Beppo's interest in his enemy's daughter.
The novel is used as an English Literature school textbook.
