The four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth – live in financial hardship in New England with their mother, while their father has been drafted to fight in the Civil War. As the four come of age and their distinct personalities develop, destiny has contrasting fortunes in store for them – in the form of marriage, career, European travel or fatal illness – but the bonds holding together the March family remain intact. Initially written as a novel for girls, Little Women is now regarded as an all-time American classic for both sexes and all ages, inspiring generations of women writers and giving rise to many adaptations.