The oldest orphan at a dreary home for foundlings, Judy Abbott is about to go off to college — a dream she's been able to realize with the help of a benefactor who insists on remaining anonymous. There's a catch, though: Judy has to write her unknown patron regularly about school activities, and it's to be one-sided correspondence because she is to expect no reply. Judy faithfully addresses her letters to "Daddy-Long-Legs," a name she decides to use after having glimpsed the back of her tall, mysterious friend. At school, she hides her impoverished past from her arrogant classmate Julia, whose young, handsome, and rich uncle becomes a figure who sets Judy and readers alike wondering about the identity of her secret and immensely generous sponsor.
Presented in letter format, with dozens of messages to "Daddy," this charming romantic novel of the early twentieth century — written and delightfully illustrated by the author, who had an interest in the problems of the unfortunate — inspired numerous popular motion pictures.