Davey has grown up to be a responsible young man. He is working hard and wants to use his earnings to buy a microscope for himself. Since he doesn't have enough money yet for one, Hetty unilaterally decides on something else she feels he should have instead, which places the two at odds with each other. Meanwhile, two British youth, brothers Bret and Ian McNulty, are being brought to the Avonlea Foundling Home. They were brought over from Britain on the pretense of being adopted, but were instead treated solely as slaves by their wards, who really had no intention of adopting them. As such, Bret and Ian ran away and were found on the streets of Charlottetown, living through petty theft. Bret and Ian are seemingly tough and streetwise, and hate everyone around them in Avonlea, especially Davey. The older Bret even goads the younger boys of Avonlea into games of chicken resulting in some illegal acts. But when Davey learns of a secret Bret is hiding, Davey vows to help the brothers on their ultimate mission, which is to find their older, of-age brother, Jim McNulty, who they suspect is somewhere in Nova Scotia. This act may get Davey into more trouble not only with Hetty, but also with the authorities.
—Huggo