Born in 1880, Helen Keller is a healthy baby until she is struck with a fever at 18 months. The fever is likely scarlet fever, but little is known about it at the time. Gradually, Helen regains her strength and overcomes the fever. However, her mother notices one day that she does not make eye contact like she previously did. Helen’s mother shines a light into Helen’s eyes, but she does not blink. Her mother is certain that she has gone blind. A few days later, her mother dresses her and then sits her on the floor. When the lunch bell rings, the baby does not move as she had previously done before her fever. Helen’s mother shakes a toy rattle next to her ear, but she is unbothered. Her mother is certain that the fever has also left Helen deaf.

Helen’s parents take her to several doctors, but all of them say that nothing can be done to restore her sight or hearing. She gradually loses the few words she had been able to speak. Helen is curious about her surroundings and explores them with her other senses to obtain information, relying heavily on her sense of touch. By the age of five, she has developed approximately 60 hand signals in order to communicate with her parents.