Alps no Shoujo Heidi
Heidi: Girl of the Alps

When Heidi is five years old, her stoic grandfather takes her to live with him in the Swiss Alps. Heidi had been nurtured by her aunt Dete since her parents' passing four years prior. Dete has a great job waiting for her in Frankfurt, but she is unable to leave while serving as Heidi's guardian or take Heidi with her. The only remaining relative is Heidi's grandfather, and Dete feels that he ought to bear some of the blame. The inhabitants of Dörfli have a terrifying reputation for Heidi's grandfather, known as Alm-Onji, due to reports that he once murdered a man. He now lives alone in a cottage halfway up a mountain with his dog Josef. Heidi, however, swiftly establishes herself in his life by capturing his attention with her zeal and brilliance. She spends her days on the mountaintop with the goatherd Peter, whose job it is to transport the villagers' goats to the high mountains for pasture, and her winters occasionally visiting Peter's grandmother, an elderly woman who is blind and has a dream of one day being read from her cherished book of psalms (which Peter cannot do since he failed to learn to read). Since Heidi lacks any prior educational background, Alm-misanthropy Onji's and solitude prohibit her from attending school, ultimately rendering her illiterate. Up to Aunt Dete's return from the city, who is thrilled about a fantastic opportunity for Heidi, Heidi continues to live blissfully in the highlands. Mr. Sesemann, a successful businessman from Germany, is looking for a companion for his daughter Clara, who uses a wheelchair. Alm-Onji is able to stop Dete after she fools Heidi into going with her in order to procure a gift for Peter and her grandfather. Heidi is driven to Frankfurt with the assurance that she is free to return at any time. Dete leaves her in Miss Rottenmeier's "care" there, the tough, no-nonsense governess in charge of Clara's well-being. With her antics and well-intentioned gaffes, Heidi gradually upsets Clara's family as they become fast friends. Clara is intrigued by Heidi's tales of the Alps because they depict a life that is very dissimilar from the sheltered and lonely one she is used to. Clara's only permanent companions up until this point have been the housekeepers and her pet canary because her father is frequently away on business. The occasional diversion of new pals breaks up Heidi's yearning to go back home and sporadic attempts to flee. She sneaks a tiny kitten into the home, and she and Clara take care of it until Miss Rottenmeier finds it and orders that it be thrown out, or until Sebastian, the nice butler, is able to leave the kitten with a friend. Clara's doctor makes friends with her and periodically maintains a watchful check on her, but her grandmother has the biggest influence. She and Heidi become fast friends during one of her infrequent trips to Frankfurt. To the surprise of the tutor who had struggled for months to read herself, Heidi suddenly picks up reading under her loving instruction. The elderly woman's return to her house proves to be a turning point for Heidi, nevertheless. Miss Rottenmeier forbids Heidi from ever bringing up or even thinking about the Alps again, and Heidi quickly begins to deteriorate. She finally starts to sleep walk, and her movement around the hallways is mistaken for a ghost, scaring the home. Mr. Sesemann, assisted by the doctor, captures Heidi in the dead of night after being summoned home to deal with the haunting. Before Heidi passes away from homesickness, the doctor makes a diagnosis of her illness and convinces Mr. Sesemann to send the young woman back to her Alps. Only the promise that she will be permitted to visit Heidi in her mountains can bring Clara and Heidi together. Sebastian looks after Heidi as she travels back home, where she eventually meets up with her grandfather Peter and his family. Alm-Onji decides to partially renovate a dilapidated house in the area where they retire the next winter so that Heidi can begin attending school as a result of Heidi's return and her newly discovered love of reading. The townspeople warm up to Heidi and Alm-Onji throughout the course of the season, and Peter builds his own sled and triumphs in a nearby race. They bid their new pals farewell and head back to the mountain in the Alps the next spring. Clara reminds her father of his promise to her in Frankfurt, where she has been longing to visit her friend, but he warns her that the conditions in the Swiss Alps might be too difficult for her to endure. In her place, the doctor is dispatched to the Alps to survey the terrain and assess whether it is suitable for a crippled, ill young girl. The doctor is persuaded by Heidi, Peter, Alm-Onji, and the terrain's limits that Clara should perhaps test her legs once more here. Clara eventually travels to the Alps with Miss Rottenmeier, who exhibits a blatant distaste of the primitive surroundings, an outward dread of animals, and concern about the possibility of mishaps on the mountain. Clara's grandmother, who soon shows up, commends Miss Rottenmeier to the care of the Alm-Onji before leaving herself after observing the dramatic improvement in Clara's condition. Clara's physical therapy work is started by the kids and Alm-Onji when it is determined that her legs can move. Clara eventually gains the ability to walk without help and makes a promise to her father and grandma to return the following spring to be with her pals once more.