Black Beauty

On the Wendon estate, Duchess the mare is about to foal. Anne defies her father’s orders and sneaks into the stables to watch the birth. The colt is born and, because of his color, Anne names him Black Beauty.

Anne and Black Beauty grow up together on the estate. The horse becomes her constant companion as the years pass. She cares for him and learns to ride, building a deep emotional bond.

A young American, Bill Dixon, visits the neighboring farm and notices Black Beauty. He cannot stay for tea and leaves for America, but two years later sends a gift and a letter saying he will return. Anne cherishes the gesture and continues to bond with her horse.

Bill returns to England after completing college, and Anne falls in love with him, though he still treats her as a child. They ride together and Bill brings Evelyn Carrington, triggering Anne's jealousy. The stage is set for growing rivalry between romance and maturity.

To prove herself as a capable horsewoman, Anne takes to riding side-saddle like the grown women. She pushes through discomfort and risk to catch Bill's eye and demonstrate her maturity.

Evelyn borrows Black Beauty for a ride with Bill, while Anne watches. In a bid to keep up, Anne borrows Ginger but falls while jumping in front of Bill, knocked unconscious and needing a doctor. Bill fetches Doctor White to treat her fall and check the horse.

The horse is exhausted and ill after the rough ride. The groom Joe fails to curb the horse's drinking of cold water, which worsens the condition. Overnight Black Beauty grows sicker but shows faint signs of recovery.

With the horse still ailing, Anne is sent away to boarding school to learn how to be a woman. John, a Wendons' employee, promises to take care of Black Beauty in her absence. The illness intensifies and a difficult decision about the horse’s fate looms.

When Anne returns after schooling, John reveals a grim ruse: he fired a shot at the horse to pretend it was euthanized, then hides Black Beauty from the employer. The plan buys time and relays the horse's survival to Anne. She reunites with the horse and contemplates their future.

Black Beauty is sold at auction to a local baker who does not treat him well. Anne and John begin a search to locate him, and Bill joins the effort, drawn by his growing affection for Anne. The horse’s whereabouts become a race against time.

The group tracks Black Beauty to a nearby stable where a fire breaks out. Anne bravely tries to rescue the horse as flames rise around them. Bill arrives just in time to help pull them from danger and save the horse.

With Black Beauty rescued, Anne and Bill share a kiss, signaling a renewed romance. The story closes with Black Beauty as the proud father of a new colt, symbolizing new life for the family and their horse.