The Family Thief

Iolanthe has an extraordinary family: eccentric, chaotic and bursting with life and warmth. Waifs and strays (children or animal) are always welcomed, and while her father charms them, it is her kind and gentle mother who they inevitably fall in love with and never want to leave. Agata, their Polish neighbour, arrives uninvited one evening and quickly becomes a permanent part of the family, dispensing advice and looking after their increasingly fragile mother.
Then Carol arrives, more in need of the family than any previous stray but Agata knows that Carol isn't to be trusted. As Iolanthe and Carol grow up, Iolanthe begins to wonder how well she ever knew her foster sister, and soon her loyalties are tested to destruction in order to save the family itself.