- The story starts with a tree that loves a boy.
- The boy visits the tree every day to play. He gathers the tree's leaves, climbs up and swings from her branches, and eats her apples.
- The boy and the tree play hide-and-seek together, and when the boy is tired, he falls asleep against her trunk.
- The boy loves the tree, the tree loves the boy, and the tree is happy.
- The boy gets older, gets into a romantic relationship, and stops spending so much time with the tree.
- One day when the boy comes to visit, the tree invites him to play, but he doesn't want to play. He wants money.
- The tree tells the boy to pick her apples and sell them in the city to make money. So he does. And the tree is happy.
- After a long time, the boy visits again. The tree invites him to play, but this time, the boy, who has become a man, wants a house.
- The tree tells the boy to cut off her branches and build a house.
- The boy cuts off all the tree's branches and carts them away, and the tree is happy.
- A very long time passes, and the boy finally visits again. He is an older man now.
- The tree invites him to play, but he says he's too old and sad for that. He wants a boat, so he can travel far away.
- The tree tells him to cut down her trunk and make a boat.
- The boy cuts down the tree's trunk, makes his boat, and sails away. This time, the tree isn't really all that happy.
- The boy returns as an elderly man.
- The tree apologizes for having nothing left to give, but the old man says that all he needs is a quiet place to sit down and rest.
- The tree is proud to offer up her stump, and the boy sits down to rest.
- The tree is happy, and the story is over.