It’s September 1914. Ten-year-old tomboy Millie MacCallum has just learned that her father, like so many other Canadian men, will be leaving for England to join in the war effort. More bad news: her mother has enrolled her in a new school where she’ll be expected to learn languages, dancing, and lady-like deportment. Millie would much rather be paddling a canoe or tucking up her dress to wade among water lilies. Nonetheless, she promises her father that she’ll stay out of trouble while he’s away. But for a girl as lively as Millie, this is a hard promise to keep.