The Wizard of Oz plot summary
Dorothy Gale is a teenager who lives on a Kansas farm. Along with her house and her dog Toto, she's swept to the land
of Oz by a tornado. The tornado drops Dorothy's house on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. The witch ruled the
Land of the Munchkins, little people who think at first that Dorothy herself must be a witch. The Wicked Witch of the West,
who is the sister of the dead witch, threatens Dorothy. But Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, gives Dorothy the dead
witch's enchanted Silver Slippers, and the slippers protect her. Glinda advises that if Dorothy wants to go home to
Kansas, she should seek the aid of the Wizard of Oz, who lives in the Emerald City. To get there, Dorothy sets off down
the Yellow Brick Road.
Before she's followed the road very far, Dorothy meets a talking scarecrow whose dearest wish is to have a brain. Hoping
that the wizard can help him, the Scarecrow joins Dorothy on her journey. They come upon the Tin Woodman , who was
caught in the rain and is so rusty he can't move. When they oil his joints so he can walk and talk again, he confesses that
he longs for a heart; he too joins Dorothy. As they walk through a dense forest, they encounter the Cowardly Lion, who
wishes for courage and joins the quest in the hope that the wizard will give him some.
On the way to the Emerald City, Dorothy and her friends are hindered and menaced by the Wicked Witch of the West.
She incites trees to throw apples at them, then tries to set the scarecrow on fire. Within sight of the city, the witch conjures
up a field of poppies that cause Dorothy, Toto, and the lion to fall asleep. Glinda saves them by making it snow, which
counteracts the effects of the poppies.
The four travelers marvel at the wonders they find in the Emerald City and take time to freshen up: Dorothy, Toto and the
Lion have their hair done, the Tin Woodman gets polished, and the scarecrow receives an infusion of fresh straw stuffing.
As they emerge looking clean and spiffy, the Wicked Witch appears on her broomstick and skywrites "Surrender Dorothy"
above the city. The friends are frustrated at their reception by the "great and powerful" Wizard of Oz -- at first he won't
receive them at all. When they finally see him, the Wizard declines to help them until they bring him the broomstick of the
Wicked Witch of the West. Daunted but determined, they set off again.
The witch sends winged monkeys to attack Dorothy's party before they reach her castle; the monkeys snatch Dorothy and
Toto and scatter the others. When the witch finds that the Silver Slippers can't be taken against Dorothy's will as long as
the girl is alive, she turns her hourglass and threatens that Dorothy will die when it runs out. Meanwhile, Toto has escaped
and run for help. Dressed as guardsmen, the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow sneak into the castle and free
Dorothy. They're discovered before they can escape, however, and the witch and her guards corner them and set the
Scarecrow on fire. Dorothy douses him with a pail of water, splashing the witch by accident. The water causes the witch to
melt. The guards are happy to let Dorothy have the witch's broomstick, and Dorothy and her friends return to the Emerald
City.
The wizard isn't pleased to see them again. He blusters until Toto pulls aside a curtain in the corner of the audience
chamber to reveal an old man pulling levers and speaking into a microphone -- the so-called wizard is a phony. He's
abashed and apologetic, but quickly finds ways to help Dorothy's friends: a diploma for the Scarecrow, a medal of valor for
the Lion, and a testimonial heart-shaped watch for the Tin Man. Then he reveals that he's from Kansas himself and came
to Oz in a hot-air balloon, in which he proposes to take Dorothy home.
The wizard appoints the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion rulers of Oz in his absence. Just as the balloon is about to take off
Toto runs after a cat and Dorothy follows him. Unable to stop, the wizard leaves without Dorothy. But Glinda appears and
explains that Dorothy has always had the power to get home; Glinda didn't tell her before because Dorothy wouldn't have
believed it. Bidding her friends a tearful good-bye, Dorothy taps her heels together three times, repeats "There's no place
like home," and the Silver Slippers take her and Toto back to Kansas.