Publisher's Synopsis
The novel opens with Aunt Dete taking her niece, Heidi, to stay with the young girl's grandfather, a goatherd who lives alone in the Swiss Alps. Dete, who has taken care of Heidi since she was orphaned as a baby, has a new job and can no longer care for the child. However, villagers express concern about Heidi living with her grandfather. He is a bitter old man who has become reclusive and has rejected religion. Nevertheless, Heidi is left with him, and the odd couple-after some initial reluctance on the grandfather's part-are happy together. Away from her aunt's oppression, the little girl's spirits soar, and her goodness and faith soften the old man's heart. She quickly comes to love life on the mountain and makes friends with Peter the goatherd and his blind grandmother, among others.
However, three years after leaving Heidi, Aunt Dete reappears, having found her niece a job in Frankfurt as a companion to a wheelchair-bound girl, Clara Sesemann. Dete believes the change will be good for Heidi, especially as Grandfather has refused to send her to school or church. Heidi reluctantly goes, and her departure is especially upsetting to Grandfather and Peter's grandmother. Once at the Sesemann house, Heidi learns to love Clara, and she becomes close to Clara's grandmother, who teaches her about God. However, the servants-particularly the coldhearted, stern Miss Rottenmeier -make Heidi unhappy, and she desperately misses the mountains. Ghostly sightings are revealed to be Heidi, whose homesickness has caused her to sleepwalk. A kindly doctor intervenes, and Heidi returns to the mountain to a joyous welcome. At her encouragement, Grandfather prays, and the two later attend church. His return to society is complete when he promises to live with Heidi in the village during the winter. Clara later visits, and a jealous Peter causes her wheelchair to break. With help from Heidi and Peter, however, Clara begins to walk. A thrilled Mr. Sesemann promises Grandfather that he will take care of Heidi when the old man dies.
