Pod, Homily, and Arrietty escape from the Platters' attic and set off to an old rectory to begin life anew.
With help from wild young Spiller and a lame Overmantel named Peagreen, they fashion a hidden home in the library. Pod builds neat rooms from discarded book covers, while Homily cleans her hearth and marvels at a larder brimming with Cheddar cheese and rich plum cake.
Yet safety remains fragile in the quiet parish. Armed with wire cutters and a cat basket, the greedy Platters prowl the water meadows, desperate to recapture their lost prisoners and put them in a glass-fronted cage.
"Like her Borrowers, the author is resourceful, inventive, and patient, and her fantasy continues to be totally real and acceptable."—The Horn Book