Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe are at last engaged, but still they are apart: for three years Gilbert will be away at medical school, while Anne has a new job as principal of Summerside High School. Absence couldn't make their hearts any fonder, though, and they share all their love and news in letters.

At Summerside, Anne settles in happily, lodging at Windy Willows, home of two widows - Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty - and their irrepressible housekeeper, Rebecca Dew. With firm friends like these beside her, she can face anyone - even the Pringles, the 'Royal Family' of Summerside, who waste no time in snubbing Anne and letting her know that she wasn't their choice for principal. Can Anne ever hope to win them over?