Following the death of her father, Pollyanna is sent to live with her closest living relative, her late mother's sister whom she has never met, Miss Polly Harrington: a wealthy woman with a reputation for coldness. Her servants find her to be an extremely demanding employer. She agrees to take care of Pollyanna because she prides herself on always doing what is morally right...but she's not happy about allowing a child to come into her house or her life and does little to make her niece welcome or comfortable in her new home. But Pollyanna was taught to always see the best in everybody and cannot help loving her Aunt Polly from the start. Pollyanna's cheerfulness and her desire to make everybody around her as happy as possible have a positive impact on all of the people with whom she comes into contact. But it is only when a tragic accident occurs that Aunty Polly realises how much she has come to love her niece and understand how the little girl has created love and blessings in the life of everyone she meets.