Half a century later comes Esther – a keenly intelligent teenager who also has cerebral palsy, but whose talents are recognised in a more enlightened age. Her mother died at her birth due to a fatal car accident, and as a result, Esther was delivered prematurely by caesarian section – which is implied to have possibly contributed to her condition. Since her father, Richard, is unable to cope with her condition and the loss of her mother, Esther is bounced between multiple foster parents – who struggle to cope with her profoundly demanding and unique medical needs – before winding up at a home for disabled children called the Dale Centre. There she meets Peter Rowne – an even more disabled, even more intelligent boy slightly older than her, Karen – a severely learning-disabled 'frienemy', and Tom – a docile and courageous, though sometimes invasive young boy with Down syndrome, who becomes her lifelong ally and protector.