Sent to an all-girls boarding school due to her father's overseas job, Sara Crewe is a promising young girl who excels both academically and socially in her new life in London. However, her world is turned upside down when she is called into the headmistress' office and informed of news that no child wants to hear: her father has passed away.

Now an orphan, Sara is stripped of her status as a student and is forced to work in the boarding school as a maid in order to support herself. To make matters worse, her once friendly peers suddenly turn against her upon hearing about her fall from wealth. Coming to terms with the unfortunate situation she faces, Sara must learn to persevere and form new friendships in order to regain her dignity as well as her identity.