It's a cold, wintry day and Jo decides to go out into the snow to dig some paths. Not everyone's enjoying the snow, however. Jo's neighbor, young Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, is cooped up inside his bedroom, sick with a cold. As Jo watches him sitting by the window, she starts to feel sorry for him. How bad it must be for him to be sick and all alone!

Jo picks up a snowball and throws it against Laurie's window to get attention. He leans out of the window and confirms that he has indeed been sick with a cold. He also confirms his loneliness by asking Jo to come over. It's patently obvious that he could do with the company. The Laurences may be a heck of a lot richer than the Marches, but there's precious little sign in their enormous mansion of the love and warmth enjoyed by Jo and her family.

When Jo goes to see Laurie, she brings him a plate of blancmange prepared by her sister Meg, as well as some kittens given to her by Beth. This unusual combination of gifts is designed to cheer poor old Laurie up a little and perhaps expedite his recovery from illness.