After teaching for two years at Avonlea School, Anne continues he education at Redmond College in Nova Scotia
Gilbert Blythe and Charlie Sloane from Avonlea are there at the same time, as well as Anne's good friends Priscilla Grant and Stella Maynard.
The girls rent a charming little cottage called Patty's Place, and set up housekeeping there.
Anne's Prince Charming then enters her life in the form of Roy Gardner.
Over the next two years, Anne almost convinces herself that she is in love with Roy, but when he finally asks her to marry him, she suddenly realizes that in spite of his "good looks and knack of paying romantic compliments" he does not belong in her life.
Anne begins to give up hope that she will ever find her romantic ideal.
Not until Gilbert Blythe is gravely ill with typhoid fever does she full understand how much she cares for him. She spends many agonizing hours fearing that Gilbert will die, never knowing that she loved him. However, Gilbert recovers and on a late-summer afternoon walk to Hester Gray's garden, receives Anne's final acceptance of his proposal.
