Tom gives Becky an engagement kiss. But with a slip of the tongue, he tells her that he had once been engaged to Amy. Becky is furious, and Tom becomes so discouraged he ends his treasure hunt.

Mr. Dobbins, the schoolteacher, doesn't trust Tom, but all Tom's classmates like him. Younger brother Sid saves Tom from punishment at school. Later, Tom and Huck decide to conduct their treasure hunt at night, to avoid Indian Joe.

The village children are bored; nothing exciting ever happens there. Then a theatrical troupe arrives and announces a play for the children. Among them is a young actress Lissette, and Huck falls in love.

The sheriff calls in a detective from St. Louis to find Indian Joe, but to everyone's disappointment he is unsuccessful. He is sure, however, that Joe will seek revenge. The detective follows Tom continually, hoping eventually to arrest Indian Joe.

Tom and Huck have a grand time on the ranch. When the ranch hands decide to catch the white horse named Lightning, the boys go along. The horse is finally captured, but Tom feels they have injured Lightning's pride.

Tom Sawyer doesn't like school much. Escaping from the schoolhouse, he's off to the woods to catch a wild pig with his friend Huck. Their attempts to sell the pig at the harbor end with a wild disturbance on the steamboat.

Aunt Polly falls sick and is struck with an idea. She calls Tom to her bedside, pretending to be dying. Aunt Polly tells Tom she cannot go to heaven unless he promises to be a good boy but Tom refuses to promise, because he doesn't want his aunt to die.

The villagers do not like drunken Muff and Indian Joe. Tom and Huck rescue Muff and he, in return, tells them about a treasure buried near St Petersburg. The boys decide they will find the treasure, and Indian Joe joins Muff in his search.

After the funeral Tom is a hero at school, and everyone wants to hear his story. Charlie inks Tom's schoolbook out of jealousy, and Tom is punished. Becky saw what happened and feels guilty that she did not tell the truth.

Becky accidentally tears a page of Mr. Dobbins' precious book on medical science, and Tom takes the blame. Becky makes up with him.

When Tom and Huck find a small gold lump in the river, the news spreads quickly and all the villagers rush to the river to search for gold. Even Aunt Polly tries to join them, but Mary calls a halt.

Arthur meets Mary at Dr. Mitchell's office, and she invites him to dinner. Tom is fascinated by his stories of balloon flight and is determined to have a ride.

Tom attempts an early morning balloon flight with Huck. Arthur jumps on just as the balloon takes off, and they enjoy the view from the sky. Soon the army arrives and Arthur leaves the village, with a promise to return to Mary.

Tom is dismayed when Aunt Polly tells him he must spend his Saturday whitewashing the fence. Too long to paint in one day, Tom convinces his friends of the joys of the job, and soon has all the help he needs.

Tom goes to the harbor to meet his cousin Mary, and sees Becky Thacher for the first time. Her family moves into St. Petersburg, and Tom falls in love.

Tom arrives at school late and finds that Becky is in his class. He finally manages to become friends with her, and promises to visit - forgetting another promise he has made to Huck.

After Becky ignores Tom for five days, he decides to run away from home to be a pirate. During the night he sails to Jackson Island on a raft, along with Huck and Ben.

Tom, Huck and Ben enjoy their adventure on the island while everyone in the village worries about their disappearance. A rainstorm washes away their raft, and it is found by a villager broken to pieces.

Tom distributes handbills in return for the medicine. It sells like hotcakes, then the two men disappear. The medicine turns out to be a sham. Tom doesn't get the mumps, but he makes many trips to the outhouse.

Becky's great aunt has no children of her own, and decides to adopt Huck. Tom makes him take a bath, dresses him up, and takes him to Becky's house. Huck doesn't like anything that binds, including a tie, and declines the offer.

Alfred hones his swimming skills in order to show up Tom. At his birthday party he challenges Tom to a swimming race and wins. Tom then challenges Alfred to a contest to see who can stay under the water the longest.

Lizette is treated severely in the tragedy. Huck, unaware that it's a drama, jumps onto the stage to save her. Tom stirs up the other children to help Huck and Lizette, and the play becomes a fiasco. Lizette rather likes Huck, and promises to visit.

Arthur and Mary fall in love. He decides to fly the balloon with the children's help before the army comes to recover it. But the sheriff suspects he is a devil and intervenes. The children are disappointed, but Tom won't give up his dream of flight.

Aunt Polly asks Tom to visit Aunt Sally in Arkansas and deliver important papers. Glad to go as Becky is also traveling to St. Louis, and the trip will keep him away from Indian Joe. To the surprise of Tom and Becky, Huck steals aboard the steamship.

Bennie discovers that Huck is not Tom's brother, but offers to keep their secret in return for help. The ranchers try to tame Lightning, but the Indians say they should release the horse. Out of love for Lightning, Bennie releases it with Tom and Huck.