Jessica and Matthew are twins who have found an old fashioned doll in their great grandmother’s attic. The doll is called Miranda who turns out to be a magical doll that comes to life. She, also, has a magic fan. With one wave of the fan, she has the power to transport herself, and the twins, back in time, to another century.
In this story, the twins go on a school trip on the Mersey Ferry. Miranda appears to them and whisks them back to the twelfth century, the time of the first ferry across the River Mersey. They have adventures with characters that they meet, even interacting with the inhabitants of an old castle. Matthew gets dressed up as the court jester and tries to entertain the lord of the castle who begins to think that the twins are really spies and orders them to be arrested. They are chased through the castle passageways but escape with the help of Ned, a boy who befriends them. Finally, just in time, they are whisked back by Miranda into the twenty first century.