Betsy Ray is now a sophomore, and she and her Crowd are in the thick of things at Deep Valley High. Whether she's carrying out her duties as class secretary, trying to charm the exasperating Joe Willard, or juggling the demands of rhetoricals, football games, parties, and exams, Betsy's got her hands full. She should be happy... but she is dissatisfied. When oh-so-cosmopolitan Phil Brandish appears on the scene, Betsy decides that going with him would pull her out of the doldrums. But how can she make him notice her?

Then Betsy's old friend Tib Muller invites her to spend Christmas in Milwaukee. And it's there that plain old Betsy begins her transformation into the dramatic and mysterious Betsye. With her new identity, she should be able to convince Phil she is special. The trouble is, Betsye can't help being Betsy in spite of herself -- but as she discovers, that's even better.