Sophie's Misfortunes

At the Castle of Rean, Sophie is thrilled to receive the beautiful doll her father has sent her from Paris. While bickering with her beloved cousin, Paul, she decides to leave her doll in the sun to let her get some colour. When Camille and Madeleine arrive for afternoon tea, the wax doll has melted. Luckily, Mrs de Fleurville and Mrs de Rean manage to mend it. Sophie escapes to greedily steal the candied fruits brought by Mrs de Fleurville. She tries to hide the fact that she stole but her mother punishes her for what she has done.

It is Sophies's seventh birthday. She has always dreamt of becoming as beautiful as her mother, so she decides to trim her eyebrows. Everybody makes fun of her. Things start to look up again when Mrs de Fleurville and her daughters invite Sophie to a lovely doll tea party. Sophie decides to make her own tea but everybody chokes on the horrible concoction. Mrs de Rean wrongly blames the maid, Lucie. Sophie manages to convince her mother not to let Lucie go.

Mr de Rean sends his wife a beautiful sewing box. He asks that it be given to Sophie only if she is well behaved. Sophie is dying to get her hands on the box, and cannot resist the temptation to stal its contents. Very soon, the theft is discovered and Sophie learns that the present was actually meant for her all along. She understands that in future, she will have to be more patient.

Sophie decides to organise an event to commemorate the death of her irrevocably damaged doll. The children organise a procession which soon turns into a water fight. Sophie suddenly gets the idea to wet her hair to make it curly like Camille's. Of course, she catches a cold and gets sick. Thanks to her mother's care and attention, she is soon right as rain.

Sophie wants a donkey so badly that she manages to convince her mother to let her have one. Sophie plays with her new donkey, Cadichon, with Jean and Leon who come from Paris. The children enjoy playing with Cadichon but laughing soon turns to crying when they fall. The donkey is too much trouble and so it must be sold. Jean gives Sophie a little book as a memory of their time together with Cadichon. Could Jean be Sophie's first love?

There is a wolf on the loose around the castle. When Sophie sneaks off to taste the strawberries, she is attacked. Thanks to her cousin's Paul courage, she is saved. Paul tries to make Sophie feel a bit better by finding her a little squirrel to play with. Meanwhile, a very pretty little kitten is interested in Mrs de Rean's bullfinch. Fortunately all ends well.