Robert takes pity on a homeless family and brings them to stay at his house for the night. In the morning the family have departed, leaving their little daughter Polly behind. Lady Adelaide meets the girl and falls in love with her, wanting to adopt her, but Sir Tim thinks that adopting Polly would be inappropriate. Tim takes Polly to the Post Office where everyone struggles to think of a solution to the problem.

Twister's delusions grow worse as he sees visions of his dead sister, and Queenie worries about his health.

A violent storm hits Lark Rise and Candleford, and the arrival of a new teacher, Mr Delafield, causes divisions in the two communities.

Mr Delafield's radical views raise plenty of eyebrows in Candleford, while in Lark Rise he endears himself to the residents. When Dorcas delivers some books to Mr Delafield they initially rub each other up the wrong way, but this tension soon turns to chemistry.