Little Women begins the much-loved story of the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The girls grow up amidst the turmoils, adventures, and hardships of the American Civil War. There is Meg, the eldest, plump and fair; Jo, the tomboy who longs to be a writer and fights against the constraints of her sex; Beth, shy, timid, and delicate, who brings out the protective instinct in others; and Amy, the youngest and brightest and, at least in her own estimation, the most important. The household is presided over by Mrs. March, their "Marmee," who tries to rule with kindness and to create harmony amongst her four little women.