It is 1900 and Dorothy and her family have just moved to a new house at 11 Ruby Road. Ruby Road is a busy street, bustling with activity - families and children, noisy carts and animals. The house is close enough to see the city and very different from the rural life Dorothy has known. Best of all it has a secret writing room that only she knows about! Dorothy has big plans for her new neighbourhood - she wants to put on a play and write it herself! But there are other reasons for her family's move to the city and, as Dorothy starts to learn about her new house, she discovers more about the period of time she's growing up in.