In 1933, during the Great Depression, 11-year-old orphan Annie was left on her own at an all girls' orphanage when she was an infant. The only two things that she received from her family was half a heart-shaped locket with a key hole, and a note from her parents saying that they'd come back for her. The orphanage is run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan, who starves the orphans, forces them to do child labor, and she even makes them suffer. In the middle of the night, after getting tired of waiting for her parents, Annie tries to escape to find them, but is caught by Miss Hannigan in the process. When Miss Hannigan gets distracted, Annie hides in the dirty laundry bin and she finally succeeds in running away. While out on her own, Annie befriends a dog, whom she names Sandy. But a policeman catches her and returns her back to the orphanage. When billionaire Oliver Warbucks decides to take in an orphan for Christmas, his secretary, Grace Farrell, chooses Annie. She is brought to his wealthy estate and bathes in a grand life.
In 1933 during the Great Depression, a young orphan named Annie is living in the Hudson Street Orphanage in New York City which is run by Miss Hannigan, a cruel alcoholic who forces the orphans to clean the building daily. With half of a locket as her only possession, she remains optimistic that her parents, who left her on the doorstep as a baby will return for her. Annie sneaks out with help from a laundry man named Mr. Jules Bundles and adopts a stray dog which she names Sandy. Annie is returned to the orphanage shortly after by a police officer.
In Harlem, Manhattan Island, New York City, Little Orphan Annie lives in foster care with several other girls under the care of Colleen Hannigan, a bitter former singer who spends her days drinking or trying to find a husband. Annie spends Fridays waiting outside ''Domani's'' restaurant, believing her parents will come for her because a note written on a receipt from ''Domani's'' says they would return. When a city inspector checks on Hannigan's treatment of the girls, Annie takes advantage of the situation; she manages to copy her social security number from his clipboard and heads off to get her information. Annie learns that there's nothing more about her than what she already knows.