Pauline (Emma Watson), Petrova (Yasmin Paige), and Posy Fossil (Lucy Boynton) live with Sylvia Brown (Emilia Fox), their guardian. Money is tight and as the story opens, three boarders--a garage owner, a retired English professor, and a dance teacher--come to stay. The dance teacher, Theo Dane (Lucy Cohu) has the girls accepted to her school by the formidable Madame Fidolia (Dame Eileen Atkins), and the three go on stage to help raise money. Each discovers her talents--Pauline as an actress, Petrova in fixing engines, and Posy as a dancer.