Anne Shirley, an orphan, finds a makeshift home with the Hammond family in Nova Scotia, where life takes an unexpected turn when Mr. Hammond dies of a heart attack. After that tragedy, Anne is sent back to the orphanage by Mrs. Hammond, and soon a new chapter begins as she is adopted by a family from Prince Edward Island. She is greeted at the station by the elderly Matthew Cuthbert, who is surprised to discover that the girl waiting for him is not a boy, as he and his sister had hoped. The well-meaning pair imagine Green Gables will be a quiet, orderly place, but Anne’s spirited personality soon stirs life into the old homestead. The siblings are determined to give her a chance, even though the choice of a girl rather than a boy upends their plans for the farm.
On arrival, the stern but affectionate Marilla Cuthbert sets out to test Anne, deciding whether she truly belongs at Green Gables or should be sent back to the orphanage. Anne’s feisty temper clashes with Marilla’s practical concerns, especially when she encounters Marilla’s friend and town gossip, Rachel Lynde, who criticizes Anne’s looks and red hair. Anne’s reluctance to apologize and go along with the rules tempers, but Matthew persuades her to swallow her pride for the sake of staying. Rachel’s suggestion to attend a Sunday School picnic helps broaden Anne’s world, and there, she quickly forges a close bond with Diana Barry from across the pond. At the same time, a boy named Gilbert Blythe begins to show an interest in her, though his teasing about her hair becomes a thorn in their budding dynamic. The incident of the slate strike—when a heated moment leads Anne to strike Gilbert—sets the stage for a tense, comic, and ultimately transformative arc as she contends with pride and the consequences of anger. Her attempt to dye her hair black only adds to the misadventures, turning green instead, a mishap that finally convinces Marilla that Anne, with her unique spark, should stay at Green Gables.
To ease the social snags, Anne attends a tea party with Diana, where a misstep results in currant wine being served instead of raspberry cordial, leaving Diana in a precarious, drunken state. Diana’s mother, Mrs. Barry, interprets the mishap as a deliberate slight, which strains the girls’ friendship and pushes anne toward a moment of reckoning with the moral expectations in Avonlea. In the midst of this, the new Avonlea schoolteacher, Miss Muriel Stacey, arrives and proposes a plan for Anne to join a special class aimed at preparing for the Queen’s Academy entrance exam in Charlottetown. This new opportunity marks a shift toward ambition, education, and the widening horizon of Anne’s life beyond Green Gables.
When Marilla is away at a political event, Diana rushes in with alarming news about Minnie May’s illness, and Anne steps in with quick thinking and care, using ipecac to help the child, which earns Mrs. Barry’s gratitude. That gratitude blossoms into an invitation to a Christmas ball in Carmody, an event that offers Anne a chance to see Gilbert again in a social setting. The dance becomes a new crossroad in their relationship: Anne is hesitant to forgive Gilbert, even as the evening exposes the potential for friendship beyond past squabbles. Josephine Barry, intrigued by Anne, invites her and Diana to visit a grand mansion in Charlottetown, where Anne takes the Queen’s entrance exam, an important step in her pursuit of higher education.
Back in Avonlea, the students stage a revival of Alfred Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott, with Anne cast as Elaine the Lily Maid. As the performance unfolds on the river, the boat suffers a leak and sinks, leaving Anne clinging to a bridge with Gilbert rowing by to rescue her. The moment culminates in a mutual acknowledgment of their bond, and they learn they tied for first on the Queen’s entrance exam. Gilbert asks for forgiveness and patience, hoping to cultivate a friendship with Anne, though she remains wary at first. The moment signals a turning point in their relationship and foreshadows new possibilities for their shared futures.
Anne travels to Charlottetown to continue her education at Queen’s College, aiming to secure a teacher’s license and pursue an arts degree at Redmond College with the Avery scholarship, a prize of $250 for four years. When the results come in, Anne is the winner of the scholarship, a triumph that confirms her intellect and diligence. Yet upon returning to Avonlea, she learns that Gilbert’s father cannot afford to send him to college, so Gilbert will become a teacher at the Avonlea school to earn his way. This shared consideration of money, study, and opportunity adds depth to the choices they face.
A profound moment arrives when Matthew suffers a heart attack while the two walk the fields, and he dies with Anne by his side. His death brings a heavy sense of loss and prompts a quiet reckoning for Marilla and Anne. In the wake of the funeral, Marilla consoles Anne, admitting that she would have faced hard times without Anne’s presence and acknowledging the deep love she holds for her, even if she hadn’t always shown it openly. With Marilla’s eyesight beginning to fail, the future of Green Gables becomes uncertain, and the possibility of selling the beloved homestead hangs in the air. Yet Anne reveals a pivotal choice: she declines the Avery scholarship and opts to study by correspondence while teaching in Carmody, a decision that keeps her near Green Gables and by Marilla’s side.
Marilla also reveals a backstory about Gilbert’s father being a former beau with whom she had a quarrel, hinting that forgiveness is a gift worth extending. This leads to a hopeful reveal: Gilbert asks the trustees to let Anne lead the Avonlea school, while he accepts Carmody, and both of them will pursue coursework by correspondence. In this arrangement, Anne can stay at Green Gables to support Marilla, and Gilbert can grow alongside her in mutual learning. The story closes on a note of reconciliation and partnership as the two friends walk home together, ready to face the next chapters of their lives with renewed purpose, respect, and a shared commitment to learning.
