Little Women (2017 TV series)

The four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, are growing up during the American Civil War in Concord, Massachusetts while their father, a pastor, is off at battle. Their mother, Marmee, tries to keep up their charitable works while their father is away and on Christmas, finding a poor German family, she convinces her daughters to give up their Christmas meal. On the way there Jo meets Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, her next door neighbour's grandson, who has recently lost his mother. He tells his grandfather what the girls have done, and Mr Laurence provides them with Christmas dinner.

The two older sisters work: Meg as a governess, and Jo as a companion for her rich Aunt March, though she also harbours ambitions of being a published writer. Younger sister Beth has abandoned her education to work as a homemaker while the youngest, Amy, is still in school. Despite their varying occupations they continue to befriend Laurie and the Laurence family with Laurie's tutor, Brooke, taking particular interest in Meg to Jo's distress.

With Marmee away, the girls try to muddle forward alone. Amy gets in trouble at school and is whipped, causing her to leave school. Meg attends her first ball and is troubled to find her friends believe that she and her mother have designs on Laurie. While trying to look after the Hummels (the poor German family), Beth contracts scarlet fever. Amy is sent to Aunt March's while Meg and Jo look after Beth. Despite their stubbornness in trying not to ask Marmee to come home, Laurie goes behind Jo's back and sends Marmee a telegram asking her home which she is ultimately grateful for. He also kisses Jo, but she rejects him, asking him to remain her friend.

By Christmas Beth has recovered, Jo has a story accepted by a publisher, and the girls' father returns from the war, weak but healed.

Jo tells Marmee that Brooke is in love with Meg and is surprised to find that not only does Marmee know it, but she hopes that Meg will return his love. Brooke enlists in the army and before he goes he proposes to Meg, who turns him down. However, once Aunt March expresses her disdain for Brooke, Meg has a reversal of opinion and realises she does love Brooke after all. He goes to war, returns, and they marry. At their wedding, Aunt March reconciles with Meg.

Meanwhile Jo receives an offer to publish her book for $300 and is angered when her father suggests she turns it down.

A year after Meg's marriage Meg is pregnant with twins, Jo finds herself hit with writer's block after her novel failed, Beth is continuing to struggle with her health, and Amy is invited to join her Aunt Carroll and her cousin on a tour of Europe, to Jo's jealousy.

Frustrated by her stagnant life and aware that Laurie continues to harbour romantic feelings towards her, Jo leaves to work as a governess at a boarding house in New York. While there she meets a German professor, Mr Bhaer, and begins writing again. Jo develops a deep friendship with Professor Bhaer but returns home in order to take Beth to the ocean. At home Laurie once again makes his feelings for Jo clear and she finally tells him once and for all that she doesn't love him. Mr Lawrence succeeds in persuading him to travel to Europe in order to try to forget about Jo. While there he runs into Amy and they renew their friendship.

At home Beth admits she is gravely ill and dies. In order to work through her grief Jo begins to write serious poetry which is well received.

In Europe Amy and Laurie learn of Beth's death and grow closer, eventually falling in love and marrying before returning home.

Jo feels frustrated by her quiet and confined life and confesses so to Aunt March while she is nursing her back to health after a stroke. On her way home she meets Professor Bhaer who has come to see her and she introduces him to her approving family.