: An orphan girl who knows how to find something joyful even in the saddest, moves to her rich, prim aunt and completely changes her life and the lives of other residents of the town.

The division of the retelling into chapters is conditional.

The arrival of Pollyanna and the "game of joy"

Miss Polly Harrington, a wealthy middle-aged unmarried lady, stern and pedantic, who lived in Beldingsville, Vermont, found out that her only eleven-year-old niece, Pollyanna, became an orphan.

Polly's elder sister, against the wishes of her parents, married a young missionary priest, went to the Far West and died of poverty and disease, and now her husband also died.

Polly decided to shelter her niece out of a sense of duty. Dry and gallstone, she became after an unsuccessful romance. The man Polly loved still lived in Beldingsville.

Pollyanna turned out to be a mobile, talkative and cheerful girl. Even in the most sad life circumstances, she knew how to find something joyful.

Having settled in a poor attic room, in cold winters and stuffy summers, Pollyanna was delighted with the wonderful view from the window. Polly’s ban on mentioning the priestly father was perceived by the girl as taking care of herself - so she could quickly come to terms with his death.

Even the most severe punishments did not upset the girl. Such indestructible optimism was taught to her by the “game of joy” invented by her father-priest and which became vital for the girl.

If you try, in almost everything you can find something joyful or good.

Pollyanna had been playing it for many years, and now Nancy, the aunt of Polly, has joined her.

Meet John Pendleton

Miss Poly bought her niece new clothes and decided to send her to school in the fall, and in the meantime, set a strict daily routine for her. Pollyanna had to read aloud, learn to play the piano, sew and cook.

Gradually, Polly began to realize that her niece was a very unusual child, and Nancy considered the girl an angel.

Pollyanna tired her aunt with her booming energy, and the girl had a lot of time for entertainment. Walking around the city, Pollyanna met John Pendleton, the richest and stingiest man in Beldingsville.

According to Nancy, he lived "alone like an owl" in a huge house and never smiled at anyone.

As the days passed, Pollyanna was absolutely happy. Only her aunt's ban on talking about her father upset her. Because of this, Pollyanna could not tell Miss Polly about her "game of joy."

One day, Pollyanna dragged her aunt into her room, which was so wretched that Polly became ashamed, and the girl moved into a beautiful room a floor below.

Caring for Jimmy Bean and Mr. Pendleton's Broken Leg

In August, Pollyanna met a ten-year-old orphan boy Jimmy Bean, who wanted to find a family.

The aunt flatly refused to adopt the boy, and in the local Sorority, no one wanted to shelter him either. The distressed Pollyanna went to Pendleton Forest to calm down and gather her thoughts, and found Mr. Pendleton lying on the ground with a broken leg. Pollyanna ran to his house and called the doctor on the phone.

Dr. Chilton, a slender man with kind eyes, liked Pollyanna very much, and she quickly made friends with him.

A week later, Pollyanna asked Aunt Polly for permission to visit Mr. Pendleton. She agreed, provided that the girl did not tell him whose niece she was.

Dr. Chilton gladly allowed Pollyanna to the sick man. He knew how positively the girl affects his patients, and regretted that he could not prescribe it as a medicine.

Pollyanna amused her grim friend, but let slip that she was Miss Polly's niece and the daughter of her older sister. Learning of this, Pendleton turned away and stopped talking.

Mr. Pendleton's strange offer

Dr. Chilton “prescribed” Pendleton to communicate with Pollyanna instead of a tonic. He asked Pollyanna about her parents and asked to visit him more often, realizing that he needed meetings with the girl.

Nancy, whom Pollyanna told everything about, decided that Mr. Pendleton was Miss Polly's mysterious lover. The girl wanted to make peace. Soon she noticed that her aunt did not like Dr. Chilton - when her niece remembered him, Polly blushed violently.

In September, Pollyanna went to school and visited friends only on weekends. One day, Mr. Pendleton invited Pollyanna to move to him.

Housing becomes Home only thanks to a woman or the presence of a child.

He admitted that he once loved a girl who refused to become his wife. Pollyanna decided that Mr. Pendleton was talking about Aunt Polly, and assured him that she would gladly move to him.

The conversation was interrupted by Dr. Chilton. Pendleton only managed to ask the girl not to say anything to Aunt Polly, and Pollyanna decided that he wanted to explain himself to her.

Pollyanna's decision

It soon turned out that Pendleton did not love Polly, but Pollyanna's mother. The girl did not want to leave her aunt, believing that she loved her. Pendleton believed that the stiff lady would gladly get rid of her annoying niece.

Pollyanna thought for a long time about what to do with Mr. Pendleton, and decided that he should adopt Jimmy Bean. She convinced him to meet an orphan.

Accident

On the last day of October, crossing the street, Pollyanna was hit by a car. Her spinal cord injured her legs. Miss Polly could not decide to tell about this girl.

When Pollyanna’s mother left home, Polly tried to support Pendleton, and gossip went around the city that “she wants to get him around.” Now Polly made peace with him for the sake of a sick niece.

Pendleton admitted that he wanted to adopt Pollyanna, but she refused to abandon her beloved aunt. Miss Harrington "clearly understood that without this girl, life would lose all meaning for her."

Polly called a spinal injury specialist from New York, who said the girl would never walk. Pollyanna accidentally heard this and realized that she could never be happy again.

It’s one thing to teach other people with disabilities for life how to rejoice, and quite another when you become an invalid yourself.

Soon all Beldingsville learned of the disaster. The townspeople whom the girl taught the "game of joy" came to convey her gratitude to her, because the game really helped them. Everyone was trying to please the disheartened Pollyanna, Pendleton even agreed to adopt Jimmy Bean.

Nancy explained to Polly the rules of the "game of joy" invented by Pollyanna's father. Learning about everything, Miss Polly told her niece how many people she taught to rejoice. She herself also decided to join the game. Pollyanna realized that she had something to rejoice in, because she helped a lot of people.

The game of joy continues

Pollyanna returned her usual optimism. Polly allowed Pendleton and Jimmy Bean to visit her niece.

In early spring, Dr. Chilton told Pendleton that his longtime buddy had successfully treated spinal injuries.Unfortunately, Chilton and Polly, who once loved each other, quarreled fifteen years ago for a reason that the doctor no longer remembers.

Sometimes a stupid argument about the depth of a river or the size of a house leads to terrible conflicts. Especially when it comes to lovers.

Polly said that if Chilton was invited to her estate, “it would mean that she was ready to plead guilty” and become his wife. The doctor was ready to forget about the quarrel, but could not step over his professional pride and impose his services.

Jimmy Bean heard the conversation and told Miss Polly about it. The next day, Dr. Chilton was allowed to see Pollyanna, and in the evening the girl found out that he would become her uncle. A week later, Pollyanna was sent to a friend of the doctor.

Ten months later, Pollyanna took her first six steps, which Aunt Polly wrote about. During this time, the girl conquered all the doctors and patients of the clinic, and Dr. Chilton and Polly got married right next to her bed, which was the most joyful event for Pollyanna.

The retelling is based on the translation A. V. Ustinova and A. D. Ivanova.