Heidi

Heidi lives with her grandfather, Alp-Öhi, in a cottage high in the Swiss Alps. She finds joy in the mountain air and spends time with her friend, the goatherd Peter, enjoying the simple pleasures of rural life.

The village parson visits Alp-Öhi and asks him to accompany Heidi to the village for the installation of the new church bells. The event is tied to the village festival, with children expected to help hoist the bells. The invitation also presents an opportunity for Heidi to make friends before she starts school there.

During the bell installation, the village festival comes alive as children take part in hoisting the heavy bells. Heidi participates with curiosity and energy, drawing attention from the townsfolk. The festival becomes a focal point for Heidi's potential integration into village life.

Villagers accuse Alp-Öhi of starting a fire that damaged several houses and the church tower, a charge he rejects as unfounded. He is already grieving the loss of his son—Heidi's father—who died while fighting the fire. Soon after, Heidi's mother dies from grief, deepening the sense of isolation around the Alp-Öhi.

Aunt Dete had cared for Heidi after her mother’s death but leaves to work in Frankfurt, Germany, entrusting Heidi to Alp-Öhi. The abandonment marks a turning point as Heidi becomes rooted in her grandfather's care. The distance between Heidi’s mountain home and the wider world begins to feel real.

Dete travels to Frankfurt for a job at the Sesemann household and tricks Heidi into accompanying her, pulling her away from the mountains. Heidi starts life in a grand urban home, far from her beloved Alps. The new setting introduces Klara, who uses a wheelchair, and a strict governess in Miss Rottenmeyer.

In the Sesemann household, Heidi quickly befriends Klara and helps her in everyday tasks. Her free-spirited nature proves challenging for Miss Rottenmeyer, the governess, while Sebastian the butler grows fond of the lively girl. Heidi daydreams of returning home to the mountains while enjoying her new companionship.

Heidi's care inspires Klara, and the girl begins to walk again. When Mr. Sesemann returns from a long trip, he is overjoyed by Klara's progress and, grateful for Heidi's help, decrees that she should stay indefinitely in Frankfurt.

The family experiences nightly apparitions that turn out to be Heidi sleep-walking around the house. Doctor Classen and Mr. Sesemann diagnose this as a symptom of emotional distress, signaling that Heidi may need to return to her mountain home for her well-being.

Dr. Classen recommends that Heidi depart for the mountains to recover emotionally. The plan includes Klara visiting Heidi soon during the holidays, allowing the friend to share in Heidi's homeland while preserving Klara's bond with Frankfurt.

Heidi goes back to the Swiss Alps, and her return helps resolve the tension between Alp-Öhi and the villagers. The mountains and Heidi's grandfather draw the community back together, ending the estrangement that brewed earlier.

On a Sunday, Heidi and Alp-Öhi join the villagers for church service, symbolizing their restored bond with the community. The parish welcomes Heidi back into village life as she continues to treasure her mountain home.