The first time we meet Tom Sawyer, he's in Aunt Polly's pantry, stealing from the jam jar. This is only the beginning of his rascally adventures. Tom narrowly escapes being hit by Polly, then plays hooky for the rest of the day. When Aunt Polly finds out about this – thanks to Tom's snitch of a brother Sid – he's sentenced to whitewash a fence the next day. But Tom gets out of the punishment by tricking the local boys into paying him for the privilege of whitewashing the fence. Tom heads off to enjoy himself.
On his way back home, he sees a girl standing in Jeff Thatcher's house. He falls hopelessly in love and starts showing off for her. The next day, in Sunday school, Tom uses the loot he made with the fence scheme to buy a bunch of "tickets" from the other boys. He uses these tickets to get himself a Bible prize. But Tom makes a fool of himself in front of a visitor, Judge Thatcher, and the rest of the Sunday school crowd, when he tells them all that the first two apostles were named "David and Goliah."
Before school the next day, Tom runs into Huckleberry Finn. Huck is the son of the town drunk and he has no mother, so he basically gets to do whatever he wants. Everyone, including Tom, envies Huck. Tom and Huck start discussing various ways to cure warts, and then agree to meet up at the graveyard at midnight to try out a new cure involving a dead cat.
Tom shows up at school late, prepared to make up an excuse, when he notices that the only seat open on the girl's side is next to that girl. So when the schoolmaster asks him to explain himself, he tells him that he's been talking to Huckleberry Finn, which shocks the schoolmaster. Tom is whipped and then "forced" to go sit next to the girl. Tom impresses her with his awful drawing skills, then introduces himself. The girl's name is Becky. Just before Tom is pulled away by the schoolmaster for being disorderly, they agree to meet outside during recess.
During recess, Tom gets Becky to tell her she loves him and to give him a kiss, but he mucks it all up when he mentions his old flame Amy Lawrence. He tries to make up by giving Becky a gift, but she throws it to the ground. Tom runs off to the woods and sulks for a while, but before too long he's dreaming about being an "Indian" and a pirate. His fantasy is interrupted by Joe Harper, and the two boys play Robin Hood for the rest of the afternoon.
That night, Tom sneaks out of the house and heads over to the graveyard with Huck Finn. Just as they are approaching, three men appear: Dr. Robinson, Injun Joe, and Muff Potter. The boys watch in horror as Injun Joe murders Dr. Robinson during a fight, and blames it on Muff Potter who, already drunk, had been knocked out in the middle of the scuffle. They run away as fast as they can. Once they've settled down, they promise never to tell anyone about what they've seen, write up a contract, and sign it in blood.
The next morning, Tom is scolded by Aunt Polly; he gets whipped for playing hooky when he shows up at school and, to top it all off, he finds his andiron knob left on a desk.
By noon that day, word about the murder has gotten around, and school is let out. Everybody heads over to the graveyard. Soon, Muff Potter shows up, in the company of the Sheriff. Muff Potter swears he's innocent, but Injun Joe has already sold him out. Tom and Huck watch in horror, realizing nothing is going to be done about Injun Joe. Tom is so afraid that he talks in his sleep about the murder, and has to fake a toothache and tie up his mouth to prevent himself from letting anything slip. Though he doesn't dare to say anything about the murder, Tom stops by the jail whenever he can to bring gifts for Muff Potter.
Soon, however, Tom falls into a deep depression. Aunt Polly attempts to help him by administering all sorts of medicines, but none of them work. Tom feeds a bit of one to the family cat, which causes the cat to go crazy. When Aunt Polly yells at him, Tom finally tells her that her "cures" don't work, and she apologizes.
Feeling better about himself, Tom heads to school hoping to see Becky Thatcher. When she tells him to get lost, he falls back into a depression and ditches the schoolhouse. He runs into Joe Harper, who has just been scolded for drinking cream, and the two decide to abandon civilization, head off to Jackson's Island and become pirates. They take Huck Finn along for the ride.
After getting supplies – a.k.a. stealing some bacon, a ham, and other provisions – they set out for the island. Though Tom and Joe at first feel pangs of conscience, soon enough they're off relaxing, enjoying nature, swimming, and fishing. At some point, they notice a ferry, off in the distance, filled with people. They figure out that the people are a search party; someone has drowned. Soon the boys realize that they are the ones who have supposedly drowned. This makes the boys very happy. Joe begins to show signs of homesickness, but Tom manages to make him think twice.
Aft