When author Tracy Beaker is arrested for using her foster mother, Cam's, credit card to publish her autobiography, Tracy seeks refuge at The Dumping Ground, a care home where she used to live as a child. She meets the children who are intrigued by her and her story. Wanting to pay Cam back, Tracy asks the manager, Mike, for a job. As Mike is short-staffed, he agrees to hire her as an assistant care worker since she knows so much about life in care. Tracy then uses her background as a former child in care to become fully involved in the lives of those of whom she is now in charge.