The author was one of three children born to an unorthodox British couple in 1942. Her mom’s parents were landed gentry, while her father’s were working class. Her parents shared an artistic and adventurous bent, though, and the family lived outside of many societal norms, such as in caravans, a circus, and farmhouses, among other places. When she grew up, Rains lived with her own family in Hong Kong, Scotland, California, and England. Organized around moves and composed of short narratives, the book is almost a linear plotline, digressing to give people’s backgrounds. The majority of the moves happen at the beginning, and the pace of the book here is the swiftest. Rains’ mother’s many projects, her bad cooking, and creative knitting add levity to these chapters. Letters from friends attest to the brightness the author brings to her communities and to the text.

Although some of the moves are escapes from bad situations, most show the family acting on opportunity. Later stories of plane and car accidents, toilet papering a rival’s house, and party games gone awry are told with an honest mixture of regret, relief, and amusement, resulting in a positive, trusting tone. Where conflict might arise, Rains finds solutions instead. Like her mother defending the children against school abuse due to their family situation, the author helps, sewing costumes, refereeing her son's games, and raising a granddaughter. Rains’ conversational style uses Britishisms, and the lightness and informality captivate. One wants her anecdotes to keep coming. The end of the book is more serious. After chapters devoted to her descendants and travels, Rains reveals an explanation for her endearment to the quirky people to whom she's related and with whom she relates. The conclusion is a spiritual message that makes sense of the string of comical tales.

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