There is a Sultan called Shahriyar. He marries a girl every day, and kills her the day after the wedding night. One day, he marries a beautiful and clever girl called Scheherazade. Scheherazade tells the Sultan wonderful stories, one after another. Her stories are so interesting that the Sultan never kills her.

With their father gone off to war, the four girls of the March family stay with their mother. The five of them become very worried when they learn that Mr. March is very ill. Mr. March soon gets better. His sudden return on Christmas day is a really nice surprise to the March family. The family can reunite in the end.