A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share special occasions when they get together with relatives or neighbors.
Laura is growing up and in addition to working hard to earn money to help send Mary to a school for the blind, her social life is becoming more interesting and includes a blossoming friendship with Almanzo Wilder.
During their first four years of marriage, Laura and Almanzo Wilder have a child and fight a losing battle in their attempts to succeed at farming on the South Dakota prairie.