Suleikha, Leo and Kai call themselves the Freezies because they?ve been frozen out of the popular groups of their village school. One day, a battered van with a trailer attached is found parked in the Mead, the open village green. In it is Mr Christaki, who is unkempt in appearance but gentle in speech. His appearance creates fissure lines in the village, which divides into camps that cannot agree over what is to happen with Mr Christaki. Meanwhile, Mr Christaki makes his own place in the community and becomes music tutor to the Freezies. And then events spiral and grow until it becomes something much bigger than the Freezies could have ever imagined, and they have to plan a daring and dangerous public ruse to save their friend from the devastating fate he faces . . .