The second novel in the series finds Anne a few months older than she was in Anne of Green Gables, but the young woman—now “half-past sixteen” (1)—still finds herself lost in daydreams quite frequently. On this particular August afternoon, Anne’s dedication to the works of Virgil—an ancient Roman poet—falls to second place in her dreams of becoming a great and noble teacher who “shap[es] the destinies of future statesmen and inspir[es] youthful minds and hearts with high and lofty ambitions” (1).

Suddenly, a fast-moving Jersey cow interrupts this daydream. The cow belongs to Anne, but the angry man following the cow is only known to Anne by his name—Mr. Harrison, the new neighbor. Mr. Harrison—an outsider, as he is from New Brunswick and not Avonlea—has quite the reputation for being new to Avonlea. He is a bachelor, keeps a dirty house, and refuses to participate in the small-town life for which Avonlea is known. Mrs. Rachel Lynde calls him “a crank” (2), and Mr. Harrison thinks likewise of Mrs. Rachel. But perhaps the most un-Avonlea-like aspect of Mr. Harrison’s life is his parrot, Ginger, a foul-mouthed creature who curses at anyone who enters the home. Today, Mr. Harrison’s “round face [is] purple with rage” (3) as he chases the Jersey cow back to her home.