Elsie Dinsmore is an endearing eight-year-old girl with several bewildering problems. She has never known her mother, who died when Elsie was a baby, and she longs for a close, loving relationship with her father. He, however, has sent her off to be raised at Roselands, his brothers' Southern plantation, where her teacher, Miss Day, harshly criticizes her and her cousins tease her relentlessly.

As Elsie learns to handle her problems, she begins to learn more about herself. And as her faith in her heavenly father grows, she learns what it means to be child of God. The result is a story that inspires and challenges, and readers will take delight in how Elsie comes to depend completely upon faith in God for the peace and happiness she seeks.