Polly has lost track of little Phronsie, whom she was supposed to be watching -- and now she and Jasper run into old Mr. Selwyn in the library of the steamer ship bound overseas to England. He seems very ill! And who is this boy who seems so cruel to the sick old man? And what about this stuck-up girl Fanny Vanderburgh, who thinks the old man is much too common?

People come all shapes and sizes -- and the Five Little Peppers meet every sort imaginable, while finding adventures, new friends, and even a few dangers. And how delighted they will be, seeing how things turn out -- almost topsy-turvy, for the odd little group that includes the oh-so-common Mr. Selwyn and those haughtily proud Vanderburghs!