Ephemia Rimaldi is an irrepressible girl thrust into challenging circumstances. Effy's Great-aunt Ada has died, and her other relatives, a committee of vultures, are bent on stealing her education trust fund for themselves. Twelve-year-old Effy's only hope is to locate her long lost poppa -- who has control of her fortune -- before time runs out. But Phineas Rimaldi, the ringmaster of a travelling circus, seems an unlikely ally. Can Effy dazzle...