Anne Shirley has now been married to Gilbert Blythe for 15 years, and the couple have six children. A new minister—John Meredith—arrives in Glen St. Mary, a widower with four young children, who have not been properly brought up since the death of their mother, with only their father (easily absorbed by theology) parenting them. The children are considered wild and mischievous by many of the families in the village (who tend only to hear about the Meredith children when they have gotten into some kind of scrape), causing them to question Mr. Meredith's parenting skills and his suitability as a minister. Only the Blythes know of the Meredith children's loyalty and kindness. They rescue an orphaned girl, Mary Vance, from starvation. The Merediths, Blythes, and Mary Vance often play in a hollow called Rainbow Valley, which becomes a gathering place for the children in the book.
