New York is a real eye-opener for twelve-year-old Evie: the crowds, the buildings, all the different languages on the subway, Central Park where she rescues a snapping turtle, the fireman's pole in Uncle Scott's apartment.
At first, Evie hadn't wanted to go to the US at all, but it was her mother's last wish, so she agreed. But she was determined to come home to Ireland once summer was over. Now she's helping Scott in his veterinary practice, meeting pot-bellied pigs, pygmy goats and all manner of pampered pooches and their besotted owners. She makes friends and begins to fall in love with the Big Apple.
But is she a burden to Scott, as Leela, his celeb-mad, divorce lawyer girlfriend says? The scheming Leela is keen to see Evie go and has a few tricks up her sleeve to make sure she does.