Ten-year-old Ida dreams of becoming a polar explorer. With her imaginary friend, polar expert Robert Falcon Scott, she trains to cope with extreme conditions, skills she needs at home. Her mother's illness splits each day into a “South Pole” and a “North Pole” half, so Ida manages alone, cooking and running the household, and shields home from outsiders. When her teacher insists on speaking to her mother, and a neighbour's child won't be put off, Ida's defences start to crumble. The play runs 1 hour 15 minutes without an interval.

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