Sixteen-year-old Viva lives on a south London estate where being a pramface is a frequent lifestyle choice. One of Viva's ex-schoolmates, Mel, is already a mum. Anxious to avoid becoming that cliche, Viva is determined to do her A-levels and have a good career, while at the same time helping her less sensible friends to negotiate their way through the many pitfalls of teen life.

Viva's family unit consists of herself, her dad, her brother and her dad's New Zealander girlfriend, Anna, who wishes Viva didn't exist. Unfortunately, Anna also happens to be a teacher at Viva's school and the coach of her football team.

With her home life often so stormy and school life not much better, it's lucky that Viva has three close friends to rely on. Holli has been a close mate since nursery - loud, crude and tough on the surface, Holli is more or less bringing up her younger siblings single-handed, while her dad is in prison and her mum is depressed. Barbie lookalike Amber is obsessed by boys and romance, though the reality boils down to a lot of sex in weird and uncomfortable places. Saz is from an oppressive family of high-achieving girls where education is everything, and being with Viva and the gang is Saz's only chance to be 'normal'.

After hearing some upsetting news from her dad, Viva decides to leave home and live with her friends. Amber is finding it very hard to dump her boyfriend, despite plenty of varied advice from Viva, Saz and Holli. Show less