Following her successful house party, Lloyd Sherman, the Little Colonel, finds her friends returning to their homes as the end of the summer approaches, signaling the beginning of the school year.While Joyce, Eugenia, and Betty return to their homes, the Little Colonelbegins to regret having met her friends, due to the loneliness of having to losethem again.But as Christmas approaches, the Little Colonel finds herself volunteering atthe childrenis hospital where, through her dying friend, Dot, she learns thetrue meaning of the holidays and of friendship.