It's 1953, the year Elizabeth is crowned Queen of England. Elsie Kettle can't wait to go to London with her nan to see the celebrations on Coronation Day. Elsie lives with Nan - her mum works as a showgirl, so she's not around very often. Spirited and imaginative, but often lonely, Elsie longs for a best friend. Luckily, she and Nan are very close; Elsie just wishes she was allowed a cat to keep her company sometimes.

Then tragedy strikes. Nan and Elsie both fall ill, and Elsie finds herself whisked away to the children's ward of the nearby hospital, with bewildering haste. Confined to bed for days, with visitors only allowed for two hours at the weekend, Elsie finds it very hard to adapt to the hospital's strict regime. But she invents astonishing ways of entertaining the other children on the ward, and for the first time, finds herself surrounded by true friends - including Queenie, the hospital's majestic white cat.

But when it's time for Elsie to go home there are huge problems - will she get the happy ending she deserves?