Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are unmarried siblings who live on their ancestral farm, Green Gables, in the quiet town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. They apply to adopt a boy from an orphanage. By mistake, however, a red-haired, freckle-faced 11-year-old girl named Anne Shirley is sent to the Cuthbert siblings. They decide to keep her despite her not being of the appropriate gender. Anne takes much joy in life and adapts quickly, thriving in the close-knit farming village. Her imagination and talkativeness soon brighten up Green Gables. Though Anne has good intentions, she gets into a lot of trouble. She often finds herself in conflict with her adoptive mother and other local women, as she has trouble acting like a "proper lady" and abiding by standard rules of etiquette and social expectations. The Cuthbert's agree; she is special - a girl with an enormous imagination.