The narrative begins in Hanover, Nebraska. A snowstorm has hit the town, but life goes on as normal. A five-year-old Swedish boy named Emil awaits his sister, Alexandra, who is at a doctor’s appointment. He cries because a dog has scared his kitten up a tall pole, and he worries he can’t help her down. Alexandra returns to Emil and seeks out help from a boy named Carl Linstrum. Carl climbs up the pole to retrieve Emil’s kitten. Carl asks how the appointment with the doctor went, and Alexandra reveals that the doctor says their father won’t get better. As Alexandra prepares for the journey home, Emil plays with Marie Tovesky, a little girl who is new in town but widely admired for her beauty and manners.

Carl helps drive Alexandra and Emil home. Alexandra confides in Carl that she worries what her father’s death will do to the already impoverished family. Carl suggests she borrow his moving-picture box to cheer up her father. Alexandra takes the reins to finish driving home while Carl returns to the town.