Alec is elected to the school board, and Hetty feels that she is being unfairly criticized so she quits her job as schoolmistress in Avonlea. Her replacement is Alistair Dimple, an impoverished actor, pretending to be a teacher. Alistair inspires the students to learn by doing role-playing and, in turn, inspires Hefty to write a book about the island. Alec finds out Dimples "identity", but keeps quiet as Avonlea school battles it out for the History Championship competition against rival Carmody.
