Sara Stanley is a wealthy child sent to stay with distant relatives on Prince Edward Island, when her father is accused of embezzlement. She finds the life on the small island a challenge, and getting to know her mother's family is not much easier. At first Sara resents being in Avonlea. Her mother's sister, Hetty King, resents Sara's Nanny Louisa and sends her back to Montreal. Sara is left to live with her Aunt's Hetty and Olivia in Rose Cottage. My favourite quote: ""As the eldest in the family, I'm used to making unpopular decisions."" ~ Hetty King.

Content to stay on at Rose Cottage, with her Aunt's Hetty & Olivia, Sara makes friends with Jasper Dale, 'The Awkward Man' of Avonlea. In the meantime, the school board has decided to hold a 'magic lantern' show and use the proceeds for the school library fund. The man they hire to do this show is in actuality a confidence man, who Sara inadvertently helps skip town with the money. Sara wants to put on a show to replace the missing funds and asks the help of the shy Jasper, who is an inventor and owns a 'magic lantern'. Sara gives a heartfelt recitation of ""The Little Match Girl"", and she is forever known as ""The Story Girl"", in Avonlea.

A mischevious Sara and Felix sneak into grumpy old Alexander Abraham's house, on a dare, not knowing that he is ill and about to be quarantined. Avonlea busy-body, Rachel Lynde enters his house looking for his farm boy who has been skipping her Sunday School Class. All are quarantined together. Alexander is a woman hater, Rachel a 'do-gooder', and the house is an unmitigated mess. Rachel nurses Alexander through his illness, Felix too, when he falls ill. Sara helps cleans his house, and learns that there is more to life than just reading books all the time. Through the help of the children and Rachel Lynde, Alexander is no-longer a cranky old man, and somewhat less of a woman-hater. Mrs. Rachel, however, remains a 'do-gooder'.

Everyone in Avonlea knows everything about everyone. Exasperated, Marilla Cuthbert, ""creates"" a beau for the ladies of the sewing circle. To Marilla's distress, a traveling salesman with the same name she 'made up' shows up in town. Marilla faces Duncan McTavish and tells him the truth. Realizing the predicament she is in, Duncan helps Marilla stop all of the wagging tongues in Avonlea.

"Old Lady Lloyd" is believed to be a very wealthy woman, but she is actually living in poverty in her mansion. Sara befriends Miss Lloyd and wants to help her. Sylvia Gray, a friend of Olivia's visiting Avonlea, is the daughter of Miss Lloyd's former beau, who Miss Lloyd has never forgiven. Young Miss Gray has a magnificent singing voice, and Miss Lloyd, after a long conversation with Peg Bowen, walks through a thunder storm to get her cousin, with whom she has not spoken in years, to finance the young woman's career. The lesson is about forgiveness.

Bossy cousin Felicity is left in charge of all the children when Aunt Janet and Uncle Alec go away to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, and then Aunt Hetty decides she must go to Charlottetown to protect the farms "water rights". Felicity soon antagonizes the other children into misbehaving. Felix eats ""poison berries"", Sara smears Felicity's cherry pie all over Felicity's dress and even cuts off some of her ""perfect"" hair. A visit by the Governor's wife makes for confusion as to her identity. By the story's end, the children have all ""learned lessons"" and Sara become friends with the formerly unfriendly Felix and Felicity. My favourite quote: ""Felicity King is known throughout Avonlea for her cherry pies and sawdust pudding"" ~ Felix King

The children are enthralled went a missionary visits Avonlea. Sara is distressed that Peter, the hired boy, has ""no religion"" and sets about getting him to go to church. Peter comes down with influenza and the children come to realize how precious life is. Hetty and Olivia start to treat him less like hired help and more like family; Peter goes to school with the King children.

Janet King's sister, Abigail (Aunt 'Crabigail') Ward, is a fussy old maid, who lives in a spotlessly clean house. When her old beau, Malcolm McEwan comes back, rich, from the Yukon; he sets about wooing Abigail. At first she accepts, but the big man leaves such a mess, is so demonstrative, and buys her so many gifts that Abigail panics and returns his ring. Sara and Felicity are in raptures over the romance, and when they find out Malcolm is leaving town, they tell Abigail. She covers herself with Malcolm's gifts, and with Sara and Felicity holding on for dear life, races after the stage and begs Malcolm to return. Favourite quote: ""Let Mr. MacEwan drive the buggy home."" ~Sara to Abigail (after a wild buggy ride)

Back from their honeymoon, Malcolm suggests starting a family; Abigail says that she is too old for children, and they fuss quite a bit. Sara and Felicity find a newly orphaned baby and leave him on the McEwan's door step, hoping to smooth rough waters between the couple and give them something that they need. Enemies Rachel Lynde and Aunt Hetty both decide that they have a greater claim to the baby and both want him. In the end it is decided that the baby is better off with Malcolm and Abigail.

Felicity's pride is her downfall. She brags that she could make anyone popular, even poor sweet Clemmie Ray. She even makes a bet with snooty Sally Potts and her co-hort Jane Spry that Clemmie will shine at the Harvest Ball.Alec King's principals are put to the test when a visiting politician, whom he supports, tries to ""buy"" his vote by offering to select Felicity's costume as the 'Best' at the Harvest Ball. Clemmie is Clemmie and is not popular at the ball, and Felicity, because of her fathers decision, does not win 'Best Costume' or her bet with Sally Potts. The children, however, learn about the value of friendship and being true to oneself.

With Aunt Hetty as the Avonlea schoolmistress, Felix is feeling like the ""dunce"" that she tells him he is. With the help of Peg Bowen, the Witch of Avonlea and a ""magic stone"" Felix hopes to win the spelling bee, but then he loses the stone. His sister, Felicity sees her dream of becoming the Spelling Champion vanish, when it is Felix who wins. Felix learns that he always had the ability to win and he only needed a bit of self-confidence, just as the wise Peg Bowen wanted him to learn. Favourite quote: ""Cows and sows give birth as well, but to my knowledge, this doesn't qualify them for Teachers' College."" ~ Hetty King

aka ""The Blue Chest of Arabella King"" Arabella King, a distant relative, was jilted at the altar, and left all of her wedding finery in a chest which sits in the King Farm kitchen for years. The curious Sara and her cousins Felix and Felicity try to persuade the adults to open the chest. Upon the notification of Arabella's death, they are free to open the chest.Aunt Olivia has begun working for the newspaper and finds a story in the contents of the chest. With the help of Sara and Jasper Dale, Olivia gets her story and solves an old mystery. Jasper and Olivia also discover they share a mutual interest in one another.

Blair Stanley, Sara's father, has been acquitted of fraud and he wants Sara to come home to Montreal. He returns to the island and comes up against Hetty King, who refuses to let Sara go. Aunt Hetty resents Blair Stanley 'taking' her younger sister Ruth away from the family and then 'letting' her die, because of their fast city life-style. Sara in heartbroken, afraid of losing the family she has grown to love and losing her fathers love, because she wants to stay in Avonlea. Trying to reason with Hetty and Blair leaves her further frustrated, and so Sara runs away and hides, hoping to unite the families. Instead it sparks more antagonism. When she is finally found, Sara defiantly argues with Blair, and not paying attention to where she is walking, loses her footing and falls from the top loft of the barn. Hetty & Blair, frightened of almost losing Sara, decide to talk over their differences and call a truce to their fighting. Sara is allowed to stay on the island.

Sara returns to Montreal, to live with her father, but a tragic accident causes her return to the island. Once only motherless, Sara finds her self suddenly orphaned and searching for answers. A traveling circus is in Avonlea and Peter takes her, hoping to cheer her up. Instead, Sara decides to visit the fortune teller, who claims to communicate with the deceased. Sara's life is placed in danger and it is Uncle Alec who saves the day.

Janet King's Great-Aunt Eliza comes for a visit, and sets the King household on it's ear, as Janet tries to please her guest, while she herself is feeling quite unwell. Alec finds out that playing cricket, is not as easy as it used to be when he was a younger man. Felicity decides that she is now ""grown up"" at age 12 1/2 and develops a crush on a visiting rival cricket player. Mooning over David Hawes, Felicity longs to receive her ""first kiss"". Sara and Felix make a new friend, Gus Pike, a young sailor, recently arrived in Avonlea and looking for work. Alec offers his barn for Gus to stay in, and also some work until the cannery begins hiring. It is wise Great Aunt Eliza who realizes why Janet is feeling unwell, it is announced that the family will soon have a new baby. Felicity finally gets her kiss and the family is never the same after Gus Pike enters their lives.

Muriel Stacey, is returning home to Avonlea to see her old school house and her school chum Hetty King. Feeling threatened by her perceived former-rival, Hetty goes out looking for new students. Gus Pike is now working at the cannery, and wants to learn...reading, writing and how to be a gentleman....Hetty is delighted with his enthusiasm. After an accident at home, Hetty is temporarily replaced at school by Muriel, who not only does not want to replace Hetty, but organizes the children to do a ""tribute"" to her. Gus plays a fiddle solo to express his gratitude to Hetty.

Dora and Davy Keith come to live at Green Gables, with Marilla, a distant relative, after their parents die. Only a temporary arrangement, until a uncle could be located, Marilla is faced with the prospect of turning two children over to an orphanage or losing the friendship of Rachel Lynde, because Davy has proven to be a handful. Rachel makes matters worse beacause she is suffering from a tooth ache, but refuses to go to the doctor...and then there is that naughty pig.

Hetty King runs in to her old beau, Romney Penhallow, at a wedding and refuses to speak to him, because of an age old quarrel between the two. Romney pursues Hetty and makes her speak to him and they enjoy some quiet time together. Romney has a sad secret, which is finally shared with Hetty. Their friendship becomes more important to both of them, and they are able to make peace with each other. Also, because of Romney, Hetty and Rachel Lynde are finally able to bury the hatchet and become friends once again.

Edwin Clark, an old beau of Olivia's has returned to Avonlea, intent on winning her hand. Hetty had chased him off years before, but as he returns wealthy and successful, Hetty no longer objects. Sara thinks Olivia is better suited to shy and awkward Jasper Dale, and encourages him to pay court to her. Olivia is torn between a former love and a new love, however her decision on who would be the best man to wed becomes quite clear, when she sees how the two men react to the emergency that occurs when a small boy falls down an abandoned well. My favourite quote: ""Ain't that the pistol""~Jasper Dale

Andrew King's father, Roger, returns from the jungles of Brazil and a doting Hetty heaps praise on him. She even plans a reception in his honour, at King Farm and placing Janet in charge. Alec, the elder brother and heir to the family farm, is put in a bad light, when he loans money from the family trust to a neighbor in need. This not only puts a strain on Alec and Roger's relationship, but their sons, Felix and Andrew are also affected, as they argue over Grandfather King's fishing basket. Fists fly, lessons are learned and fences are mended between the siblings.

Gus Pike is working hard at school and taking odd jobs around town when Captain Ezekiel Crane, the reclusive lighthouse keeper, offers him a job and a place to stay. Rachel Lynde is convinced that the island is being over run by bootleggers. The children believe they see a Ghost Ship near the lighthouse. Abe Pike, former first mate for Captain Crane, arrives in Avonlea, having escaped from prison and claims Gus as his son. Abe fights with Ezekiel and falls into the ocean, as the towns people storm the light house looking for bootleggers.

Sara finds an old gold coin while helping Gus and Captain Crane gather fire wood. Captain Crane informs her that the island is a burial ground of pirates treasure and that her coin very likely came from a treasure. Rachel Lynde, Janet King and Aunt Hetty all go looking in different places for treasure. Gus, Sara and Felicity are put in danger when Captain Borden, a former shipmate and friend of Captain Crane's, arrives in Avonlea. Borden believes that Ezekiel has knowledge of the location of a lost Spanish treasure. Captain Crane leaves the Avonlea after tricking Borden and giving Gus the lighthouse, as a home, and a ruby and gold ring.

Bored with everyday life, the King cousins decide to create their own newspaper. This helps to keep them entertained and goes quite well, until the children's ""made up"" advice column (Madame X) gets mixed up with the Avonlea Chronicles real news. Olivia, working as a reporter for the Chronicle, and temporarily acting as editor, is hard put to defend herself for the column mix-up. Then, the Chronicle office is robbed and it is up to Jasper Dale to catch the thief and exonerate Olivia. Favourite quote: ""Snoring is boring."" ~Madame X

Pigeon Plumtree, is a famous actress and Sara's cousin, who has decided to make a stop in Avonlea. Sara has stars in her eyes when Pigeon claims that she has the making of becoming a great actress. Pat Frewen, resident pig farmer is enchanted by Pigeon, much to the distress of Dorathea, who has waited 20 years for Pat to propose to her. Sara sorts out this odd love triangle and decides to stay in Avonlea.

""Rollings Reliable"" is sponsoring an essay contest to honour the mothers of the town. When Sara decides that Aunt Hetty should be her subject for the contest a scornful Sally Potts and Felicity tell her only a ""real"" mother could be entered in the contest. Having found out that Sally and Felicity share a birth date, and were delivered by the same doctor, a mischievious Sara tells them they were switched at birth. Both girls and their mothers agonize over this and learn that it is ""who raises the child, and not who gives birth"" that makes a woman a mother. Felicity enters Sara's discarded essay in the competition and Hetty wins.