Seven-year old Janie hasn’t had a dog since Rufus died when she was two. More than anything, Janie wants a Great Dane to play with. Her parents tell Janie they can’t afford an expensive dog right now, so Janie uses Rufus’ old leash and collar to pretend like she has a harlequin Great Dane named Henry.
The family grows fond of Henry. He is very quiet and only eats pretend food. Janie’s parents start to remember how nice it was to have a real dog, but as much as they’d like to, they really don’t have the money. Janie’s father tells her jokingly that if she can come up with five hundred pounds, she can buy herself a harlequin Great Dane.
Janie knows that even if she saved all her allowance, she would be seventeen before she could afford a dog. Mrs. Garrow, the old neighbor lady, plays along with Janie’s invisible dog game. Janie tells Mrs. Garrow that she needs five hundred pounds for a real dog, so Mrs. Garrow takes her inside to read her tea leaves. She predicts that Janie will be very lucky soon and get her black-and-white dog.
Mrs. Garrow’s prediction quickly comes true. Janie’s father sees an ad in the paper for Great Dane puppies, one of which is a harlequin. Then a distant relative dies, leaving the family quite a bit of money, including five hundred pounds just for Janie.
The family drives to the breeder’s house after Janie gets out of school. The harlequin puppy has already been sold. Janie tells the woman about her invisible dog Henry, and the woman looks at her strangely. She has a 9-month old harlequin that she can’t sell because he has a kink in his tail. The dog also has a two-colored nose and two differently colored eyes. The dog’s name is Henry.
Janie and the real Henry fall in love instantly. The breeder sells Henry to Janie for only one hundred pounds. When Janie takes her dog next door to show Mrs. Garrow, she is not surprised at all. She tells Janie that she saw it all in the tea leaves.