In the nurturing environment of St. Cloud's orphanage, under the guidance of the kind yet troubled Dr. Wilbur Larch, a young man named Homer Wells blossoms. Having been returned twice by foster parents who found him too quiet or unable to meet their strict standards, Homer finds comfort in the makeshift family formed among the other children. Acting as an older brother, he cares for vulnerable souls like Fuzzy Stone, a fragile child born prematurely to a mother struggling with addiction, whose health issues necessitate his life within a plastic tent, reliant on a breathing apparatus.
As Homer matures, his intelligence and willingness to help draw the attention of Dr. Larch, who begins to mentor him in obstetrics and the sensitive realm of clandestine abortions. Despite the lack of formal training, Homer is taught the intricacies of these procedures, but he grapples with the moral conflict they evoke in him. His innate disapproval makes him reluctant to engage in these practices, even after having observed them for years. As his confidence grows, he yearns for the experiences that lie beyond the orphanage walls, seeking freedom from the world he has always known.
The arrival of Candy Kendall, accompanied by her boyfriend, Wally Worthington — a pilot on leave from the war — brings additional complexity to Homer's life. After Dr. Larch performs an abortion, Homer's uncertainty about his training deepens. Wally's family owns the expansive Worthington apple orchard, where Homer eventually secures a job in the Cider House bunkhouse. As Wally heads back to fight in World War II, Homer is spared from military service thanks to Dr. Larch's diagnosis of a heart condition, which sets him further adrift from the only home he's ever truly known.
With Wally away at war, an undeniable connection begins to form between Homer and Candy, leading to a secretive affair that flourishes away from prying eyes. As Homer joins the ranks of migrant workers at the orchard, he toils during the autumn harvest, navigating the complexities of newfound regulations laid down by those distanced from their reality. When Homer reads the rules aloud, the workers realize these guidelines, crafted by outsiders, are irrelevant to their lives, prompting them to disregard these arbitrary constraints. Amid this atmosphere of prohibited romance and burgeoning rebellion, Homer and Candy discover solace and intimacy in each other's arms while Wally fights thousands of miles away.
Back at St. Cloud's, tragedy strikes with the loss of Fuzzy Stone, who passes away while watching King Kong with Dr. Larch. The weight of this loss bears heavily on Larch, who tries to shield the other children from heartache by concocting a lie about Fuzzy's fate, claiming he has been adopted, although the story rings hollow.
When the fall harvest season arrives again with Arthur Rose and his team, Homer learns that Rose's daughter has become pregnant by none other than her father. Disturbed by this revelation, Candy pressures Arthur to assist in an abortion, which he reluctantly agrees to facilitate. In a tragic turn of events, Rose's desperate escape attempt is foiled when Arthur, begging her to say goodbye, is stabbed before she flees, leaving behind a request for Homer and another worker to present his death as a suicide.
As Wally returns from the war, now a paraplegic, he finds himself forever changed. Even though Candy's heart still leans towards Homer, she commits herself to caring for Wally. Soon after, news arrives of Dr. Larch's accidental death due to an ether overdose, which adds further complexity to the turbulent emotions surrounding the orphanage.
Upon his return to St. Cloud's, Homer is welcomed with joy, yet he soon uncovers a maze of secrets from Dr. Larch. He learns that Larch not only fabricated his medical history to keep him from the draft but also falsified his credentials and used reverse psychology to prepare him for leadership at the orphanage. Stepping into this new role with determination, Homer stands before the children of St. Cloud's and declares:
> "Good night, you Princes of Maine! You Kings of New England!"
