Mitchell Topcross lives with his parents and sister in the quiet market town of Crumstead. Only it does not have a market anymore, just a bakery, greengrocer and 24-hour supermarket. Nothing much happens in Crumstead. Fun is lobbing rock muffins against the school wall at beak or eating cakes by the river. That is all about to change. One student finally decides to wreak out her revenge against the school bullies. However, someone else has even bigger plans. Plans that might rudely awaken the whole sleepy town of Crumstead, or even send it back into an even deeper state of inertia.