Annie (Aileen Quinn) lives in a rundown orphanage managed by Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett), who hates little girls.  Miss Hannigan works the girls from dawn to dusk and locks them in the closet when they misbehave.  Living at the orphanage is pretty bad, but living on the street during the Great Depression is worse.  But Annie doesn't let her circumstances get her down, she knows that she has loving parents out there somewhere and she is determined to find them.  After getting caught escaping again, Miss Hannigan is determined to punish her, but Annie is rescued by Grace Farrell (Ann Reinking), Oliver Warbucks' (Albert Finney) private secretary.  Turns out that Mr. Warbucks hosts an orphan in his home every year and this year Grace decided that he needed to host a girl.  Mr. Warbucks soon finds his home and his life turned upside down by this lovable girl and her sunshiny disposition, but Annie still believes that her parents are out there somewhere and may give up her one chance at happiness to find them...