Mr and Mrs Ruggles are as short of money as ever, the children are just as engaging. When the story begins three of them go down with measles, but this turns out to be a Blessing in Disguise, for as a result Kate, Peg, and Jo are sent on a convalescent holiday to a dream house in the country called the Dew Drop Inn, where they are looked after by Mrs Wildgoose, who must be the kindest landlady ever invented. But as well as the excitements of the train journey and the joy of discovering the habits of the countryside, the family have other adventures, like the time Lily Rose is a bridesmaid, or when Mr Ruggles gets sent the wrong pig, or when Baby Ruggles sees a pussy-cat at the kitchen window and it turns out to be an escaped tiger!