Although she is only four years old, Sophie has decided to be a farmer when she grows up. With the money she has saved by then she plans to buy a cow, two hens, a Shetland pony and a spotty pig. She has made a start on her menagerie down in the pottting shed, where she keeps flocks of free range slaters and herds of snails. She and her twin brothers sometimes hold snail races. Sophie's snail is small but very determined.