The McCready sisters -- Fiona, Marlin, Natasha and Charlie -- are left on their own when their missionary parents die and leave them in Borneo. When no immediate aunt or uncle steps forward to take them on, they start fearing they will be separated in foster care. Luckily, a great aunt Martha (whom they've never met) says they can live with her, on Pine Island in British Columbia. Unfortunately, when they get there, they learn that she has passed away unexpectedly. Fiona, the oldest at 14, is resolved that they stay together, and comes up with a plan to force their loner, cantankerous neighbor, Al, to pretend to be their guardian, bribing him with home-cooked food. But can they fool the principal of their new school, as well as the lawyer and social services?