The Miracle Worker is the amazing true story of Annie Sullivan, a "half-blind yankee schoolgirl" from Boston who leaves her home and the closest thing to a family that she has and moves in with the Kellers, a proud southern family living in Alabama. The Kellers are nearly exhausted from looking after their young daughter, Helen, who is both blind and deaf, and almost entirely uncontrollable. They call on Annie to come to their aid and see if the child can be taught. Annie is the Kellers' last hope. She is virtually the only thing standing in the way of the Kellers placing Helen in an asylum for mental defectives. The only thing she can do is try to teach Helen some civility.

This however, is not an easy task. All the odds are stacked against Annie, and the family doesn't do much to ease her situation. From Captain Keller's (Helen's father's) stubborn resistance to her methods, to the smart-aleck taunting of Helen's half-brother James, to Mrs. Keller's urge to spoil and baby Helen, Annie finds it harder and harder to teach the wild Helen Keller anything at all. Annie is forced to take drastic action and convinces Captain Keller to allow her to take Helen and move into the family's garden house, but for only two weeks on Captain Keller's demand.

It is here that Annie begins to teach Helen how to communicate one word at a time, teaching her how to use sign language to indicate things like cake, chair, egg, and so on. Slowly and surely Helen picks up the language. However, Annie is frustrated because Helen may be able to say a few things, but they don't mean anything to her. Meanwhile, Annie is constantly being tormented by the ghosts of her past, including thoughts of her dead brother, Jimmy. Yet she persists, pushed forward by the advice of her teacher, Mr. Anagnos. The play reaches its climax as, for the first time, Helen finally understands.

This is a heartwarming tale that reminds us all how important our teachers have been to us, and how hard work and determination can allow you to accomplish anything.