Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are expecting a boy to arrive from the orphanage. They have requested a strong, well-mannered lad to help with the tiring farm work of Green Gables. So they are more than a little surprised when they open the door to a spindly, red-haired girl standing there instead. They are even more shocked to discover that Anne Shirly is no meek, shy orphan, but a feisty, relentlessly chatty girl with a boundless imagination. Initially skeptical of this strange child, Marilla and Matthew are soon won over by Anne's irrepressible enthusiasm, and before long it is hard for them to imagine a life without her. But in the close-knit community of Avonlea, Anne stands out like a sore thumb. Though she befriends a gentle girl called Diana, she makes a fast enemy of golden-boy Gilbert Blythe, who makes the mistake of teasing her about her bright red hair. For Anne is strong willed and quick-tempered, and if she isn't careful, that temper will land her in heaps of trouble...