Sara Crewe, the daughter of a wealthy man, is sent from her home in India to a boarding school in England. Unfortunately, her father dies while she is away, having lost all his money, so Sara is made into a servant and treated poorly by the cruel woman who runs the school, Miss Minchin. Sara keeps her spirits up by pretending that she is a princess, and therefore it is only right for her to endure with equanimity.
Cute. It's a little dated, of course, and things end perhaps a bit too nicely, but it's a very pleasant read.