Heidi is a young girl who lost her parents. She has been raised by Dete, her aunt. Dete, has received a job, so she takes the child to the Swiss countryside to drop her off with Grandfather. Here Heidi meets Peter, a goatherder who becomes her best friend. Three years later, Dete returns with an opportunity for Heidi. In Frankfurt, a family needs a companion for their daughter, Clara, who must use a wheelchair to get around. She likes
Clara very much, but she misses the mountains. A doctor examines Heidi and suggests she be allowed to return to Grandfather. When Heidi returns to Switzerland, shares with
Grandfather everything she did, including the fact that she learned how to read. By early summer, Heidi learns that Clara is well enough to travel and will make the journey to the mountains. Clara quickly falls in love with the Swiss countryside. Peter, though, is jealous of the time Heid spends with Clara, so he pushes her wheelchair off the mountainside. Heidi, though, convinces Clara to try and walk, which she does. As a thank you for everything Heidi has done, the family agrees to care for Heidi from now on.