The story takes place in the home of an American manor owner.

One day at noon, the owner of the manor came back from outside, brought back a small sharp axe, put it by the door and went to work. As it happens, the son of the manor owner saw this axe. He looked at the shiny axe and liked it very much. He held it in his hand, looked around and thought: Is such a bright axe fast or not? He is eager to have a try. So he ran to cherry orchard with an axe. He chose a small cherry tree and learned to cut it like an adult. He raised his axe and cut it hard. There was only a click, and the young tree was cut off by the middle.

Seeing that he was in trouble, the boy ran home, put the axe back, hid in his hut, picked up a book with trepidation and pretended to be absorbed in reading. A few hours later, the master came back. When he passed through cherry orchard, he found that his favorite cherry tree had been cut down, and he immediately flew into a rage. When he got home, he called the fruit grower and reprimanded him, asking him to track down the person who cut down the tree. The little boy who has been hiding in the house saw this scene and thought, if I don't admit it, if I blame others wrongly, what a terrible thing it would be! But on second thought, if I admit it, my father will blame me and maybe hit me. What should I do? He sat on the bed and hesitated for a long time. Finally, he boldly walked up to his father, bowed his head, blushed and said, "Dad, don't pursue it any more. I cut down the tree. " When my father asked about the situation, he not only didn't blame him, but also held him in his arms and said meaningfully, "Son, I am happy for your honesty." You know, being honest is the first thing to do, which is more precious than 100 cherry trees. "

The little boy nodded and took his father's words to heart. This little boy is the later American President Washington.