Shay lived beside a river bed of marshland, where a beaver family had its lodge. Mama and Papa beaver had three kits, Billy, Randy, and Lizzie. Billy was the reckless one, always getting into trouble. Randy was cautious and considerate and never once got in trouble. Lizzie was very ambitious and always helpful to her parents. You might say she was a busy little beaver.

Mama and Papa beaver were very proud of their lodge. Papa beaver liked to brag about their lodge to anyone who would listen. Of course, there was a lot of repair work to be done because the logs would often shift in the water. And then there was Billy. He helped with the repairs but often as not he ended up playing with the building materials and things would be worse after than before he began to help. Randy was usually there to stop him before things got really out of hand.