The story is about a boy who grows up playing with an apple tree but gradually takes more and more from the tree as he ages and needs things for his family. As a child he would climb the tree and eat its apples. When older, he picks all the apples to sell for money. Later he cuts the tree's branches to build a house, then its trunk to make a boat, leaving the tree lonely and sad each time. In the end, the old tree has nothing left to give but offers its roots for the old boy to rest on, showing parents will always be there to help their children.