 As a single mother of five, Mrs. Millicent Torkelson is a do-it-yourselfer with a flair for finding ingenious ways to make ends meet. Her oldest daughter Dorothy is a sensitive dreamer who finds solace by talking to the "man in the moon". The rest of the clan includes Steven, Chuckie, Mary Sue and Ruth Ann, all of whom easily get themselves in and out of trouble. Making the best of bad times.