The book follows the lives of a boy and his apple tree. In his childhood, the boy enjoys playing with the tree, climbing her trunk, swinging from her branches, and eating her apples. However, as the boy grows older and his interests mature, he spends less time with the tree and tends to visit her only when he needs something from her at various stages of his life. In an effort to make the boy happy at each of these periods, the tree gives him parts of herself, which he can transform into material things.
She provides apples that he can sell so he can make money as a young man. She provides her branches that he can build into a house when he is older and needs to provide for a family. She tells him to cut her trunk to make a boat when he hits middle-age and wishes to escape. With every act of giving, "the Tree was happy". However after this she does not see the boy for many years until he finally reappears as an elderly, tired old man. By that time the tree no longer has anything to give, for all that remains is her stump. But the boy states that all he wants is "a quiet place to sit and rest." That is one thing the tree can still give, and so the boy sits quietly down on her stump, and in that simple moment, both were happy.
She provides apples that he can sell so he can make money as a young man. She provides her branches that he can build into a house when he is older and needs to provide for a family. She tells him to cut her trunk to make a boat when he hits middle-age and wishes to escape. With every act of giving, "the Tree was happy". However after this she does not see the boy for many years until he finally reappears as an elderly, tired old man. By that time the tree no longer has anything to give, for all that remains is her stump. But the boy states that all he wants is "a quiet place to sit and rest." That is one thing the tree can still give, and so the boy sits quietly down on her stump, and in that simple moment, both were happy.
