Peggy, Dot, and Rita are agents with the Secret Spy Society.
Well, to be truthful, they are agents-in-training because they are still quite young - I am guessing around 7 years old - and have only very recently become aware of, and then later invited to be members of, this group of very impressive woman from throughout history who had served their countries well by working undercover as spies.
Before we learn more about this trio, though, a word about the Society is important. We are told at the very beginning of the first recorded adventure that "all throughout history, threr have been lady spies who have single-handedly changed the world. They are fmaed for their wit, admired for their charm, and, of couse, applauded for their natural skills in espionage. Each lady spy had her own special skil. Some were trained to be expert codebreakers. Some could interpret body language or signals that were meant to be secret. Some were masters of martial arts and could jump, dash, leap, and loop their way to safety. And some wee masters of deception and could charm their way out of dangerous situations on into mysterious ones".
In truth, these women have their own place in the history of espionage, be it in the American Civil War or the First World War or World War II. Some would live to tell their own stories, some would survive their service years but would have their tales told by others, and several would pay the ultimate price for their actions. Through the magic of imagination, we are told that "The Lady Spies knew that ordinary settings made the best hiding places and had decided to create a special club right here in this seemingly boring town".
The three girls we are following in this set of adventures are would-be spies because they love being spies. In fact, it was because of their spying that they even learned of the highly clandestine location that the Society uses for its regular meetings. That is "a tall, skinny house on a nondescript street".
Before the girls learned of the Society, the girls would meet regularly in their own 'clubhouse' which was really the walk-in attic at Rita's house. "Usually, the girls' skills were put to use solving mysteries, like stolen ballet slippers or cryptic notes left in sidewalk chalk". When we meet them, they are bored! That would get to go looking for something to do and that would soon lead them to discovering the Society. The girls are:
Rita is a girl who prefers to wear her longish hair in two buns at the back, secured with pretty pink ribbons. She is very fond of the color pink. She "loved reading, thinking hard, and solving tricky problems" and was the one usually in charge of "planning, calculating, and figuring out" stuff.
Dot likes to wear her long brown hair in two braids falling just behind the ear. She loves "action" and was "one for acrobatics, crafts, and doing things with her hands".
Peggy has light brown wavy hair down just above the shoulders. She adores "jokes, tricks, and sweet-talking" and was the one to call when "charm, chatting, and spunkiness" is needed.
The three girls will get involved in exciting events around their town, solving mysteries as part of their own team named the Petite Private Eyes while learning from some of the best female spies in Western history, like the incredible Josephine Baker.