The March sisters -- Beautiful Meg, headstrong Jo, delicate Beth, and spoiled Amy -- live in genteel poverty against the backdrop of the American Civil war, as they face their first Christmas without their beloved father, who is serving as a chaplain in the Union Army. We follow the sisters as they grow from children into women, mothers, and wives and experience all of the trials, tragedy, loss, and love that life encompasses along the way. Generations of readers have found themselves identifying with one or more of the March sisters at varying points in their lives. Alcott's semi-autobiographical novel is filled with vividly realized characters who continue to appeal more than 150 years after the novel's original publication.