Ruby is determined to get her moody older brother Joe to fall for glamorous, charismatic Holly Helvellyn. Despite her best efforts to engineer a number of promising situations for Holly and Joe, a series of unexpected setbacks and disasters thwart her efforts - some due to Joe's personality, some due to Holly's, some due to the sheer cussedness of the universe. At least Ruby can be assured of her best friend Yasmin's loyalty and devotion. Or can she? To prove their loyalty to one another, the friends sign up to a Solemn Pact, but soon afterwards, at Ashcroft Junior School's disco, Ruby spies Yasmin wantonly frolicking with Dan Pearson and whispering tantalisingly with Hannah Levitt! Ruby is faced with a crisis of epic proportions. Relationships! Why bother? Ruby is tempted to retire to her tree house and live with her monkeys for the rest of her life.