The story of a young German girl who steals books, of her family and the Jewish boxer hidden in their basement as they struggle to survive in Nazi Germany when the bombs begin to fall.
1939年的德国，9岁的小女孩莉赛尔和弟弟被迫送往慕尼黑远郊的寄养家庭。6岁的弟弟不幸死在了路途中。在冷清的葬礼后，莉赛尔意外得到她的第一本书《掘墓人手册》。这将是14本给她带来无限安慰的书之一。尽管生活艰苦，她却发现了一个比食物更难以抗拒的东西——书。她忍不住开始偷书。