The many bees include Sipsyrup who is vain, and Honeyball who is lazy. They argue and complain, and their behavior yielded unfortunate results. There is another story happening outside the beehive: the young girl Polly whose vanity about her clothes leads to the mysterious disappearance of Johnny, her brother. The moral as stated at the end of the story is "However young, however weak, dear children, you may be, know that the youngest, the weakest, have some power here to give either pleasure or pain." Also contained in this book is the short story "Hold Fast" by A.L.O.E., which has the theme of salvation by Christ alone.