Sue and Johnsy were budding artists. They had their studio at the top of squatty three-storey brick house. In that area, many were affected by pneumonia, a deadly disease. When Johnsy was smitten by pneumonia, the attending doctor informed Sue that the chance of Johnsy's recovery depended on her will to live.
After the doctor's exit, as Sue was painting, she heard a low sound. Immediately, she rushed to Johnsy's bedside and heard Johnsy counting backward. Actually, Johnsy was counting the number of leaves of an ivy vine. At the time, only five leaves were left. Johnsy firmly believed that at the fall of the last leaf, her life would also end.
Sue wanted Mr. Behrman who had been always about to paint a masterpiece but had never yet begun it to model for her work. While Sue went to the ground floor to meet him, she told him about Johnsy's fancy.
Behrman wanted to save Johnsy's life. So, on that dreadful night when cold rain was falling, he painted the last ivy leaf exactly as the original one. Indeed, the last leaf painted by Behrman saved Johnsy's life but he painted in the persistent cold rain, he died of pneumonia. On the other hand, seeing the last leaf, Johnsy realized that it was a sin to want to die. Sue's care and attention helped her to recover soon.
'The Last Leaf' painted by Behrman proved to be his masterpiece since it saved the life of Johnsy.