The narrator Kasienka describes how she emigrates from Poland to England with her mother to find her father. Life in a foreign country with an unfamiliar language is challenging for both of them. Kasienka feels lonely as she initially struggles to connect and is bullied at school by a group of girls for being different. However, with her swimming talent and determination, her fate gradually turns for the better. By the end of the story, her parents do not reunite, but Kasienka has become happy and self-confident.