Little Women tells the much-beloved story of the four March girls, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, as they grow to adulthood in 19th-century New England. At the start of the play, pretty, practical Meg, iconoclastic, headstrong Jo (who is modeled on Alcott herself), shy, hardworking Beth and spoiled little Amy are faced with the prospect of a dreary Christmas the year their father is away at war. Money is tight, and what they do have the family shares with their even poorer neighbors. But the girls are resourceful, and they can never be really poor when they have each other.

As the year progresses, the girls have many domestic adventures. They meet Laurie, "that Lawrence boy," who lives in the immense house next door. He and his grandfather become good neighbors and friends, and Laurie seems to be falling for Jo. Meanwhile, Jo embarks on a writing career, publishing a story in the local newspaper. The girls all experience social triumphs and disasters as they try to find their place in the world.