An old tramp, adopted by three fatherless children when their mother hides them under a bridge on the Seine, finds a home for mother and children and a job for himself.

After her father returns from the war moody and tired, Marly's family decides to move from the city to Maple Hill Farm in the Pennsylvania countryside, where they share many adventures that help restore their spirits and their bond with each other.

In seventeenth-century England, orphaned Philip Marsham, forced to flee London after a terrible accident, finds himself in an even more difficult situation when his ship is taken over by pirates and he is forced to become a member of their crew.

"Keeping pigeons as pets is common among the young boys of Calcutta, India. But the carrier pigeon Gay-Neck is unique. In the course of his adventures, he is as much the teacher as the student of young Dhan, his owner and trainer. Gay-Neck serves heroically in World War I, carying messages, but must struggle to overcome a paralyzing fear acquired at the battlefront. How does he find the incentive to fly again? The answer offers young readers insight...

A feud between the Boyers and the Slaters leads to the Slater pig trampling the new strawberry plants Birdie worked so hard to set out. Matters from then on go from bad to worse.