As Rebecca and Tish race up the stairs in Court House to begin their year in the Fourth at Trebizon School, two thing occupy their minds. The first and most immediate is to secure adjoining rooms on the second floor so that the six friends can still be together. The second concerns Tish's hopes of becoming Head of Games - almost a foregone conclusion - and her plans for the seven-a-side hockey team.

But a new girl, Ingrid Larsson, the Swedish 'Ice Queen' as Tish calls her, is forced upon them, throwing a spanner in the works in more ways than Rebecca could possibly imagine.