Pollyanna Whittier, orphaned young after losing her mother at four and her pastor father to illness at eight, moves from a small Midwestern town to Beldingsville, Vermont, under the stern care of her maternal aunt, Polly Harrington. Her father bequeathed her the "glad game"—finding positivity in any situation, sparked when charity gave her crutches instead of a doll, and he taught her to rejoice in not needing them.

Unwaveringly optimistic, Pollyanna radiates affection for people and nature, cherishing sunsets, prisms, and physical gestures like hugging. She maintains cheer despite Aunt Polly’s coldness and rules, such as her confinement to a sparse attic room. Her influence spreads through Beldingsville: she teaches the glad game to the Harrington maid Nancy, comforts the bedridden Mrs. Snow, and draws out the reclusive John Pendleton. She adopts stray animals—a cat named Fluffy and a squirrel, Chipmack, often perched on her shoulder or head.

A paralyzing accident fractures Pollyanna’s optimism, plunging her into depression as she struggles to find gladness. Her aunt arranges surgery in Boston. During recovery, the townspeople she aided rally, sharing how her joy transformed their lives. The surgery succeeds, restoring her ability to walk.

Pollyanna engineers emotional reconciliations, mending her aunt’s rift with Dr. Chilton, leading to their marriage, and persuading John Pendleton to adopt her orphaned friend Jimmy Bean. She treasures her mother’s hand mirror, a sentimental link to family history. Physically, she has brown or reddish hair, blue eyes, youthful freckles, and favors pink clothing.

Her journey includes vulnerability—grief over her father’s death and guilt over unresolved aspects of their relationship, revealed in flashbacks. Yet her core resilience endures: the relentless pursuit of joy that uplifts both her spirit and her community.