Jo, the second eldest of the March daughters and an aspiring writer, receives yet another rejection from a publisher. Her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her she can do better by making her stories more personal. Begrudgingly, Jo weaves the story of how she and her sisters – Meg, the eldest, who’s on the brink of love, sweet-natured Beth who always puts others first and Amy, the youngest and most precocious – grew up in America. Even though money is short, times are tough and their father is away, their infectious sense of fun sweeps everyone up in their adventures – including Laurie, the boy next door. And through sisterly squabbles and tragic losses, the sisters discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do.