In 1938 Nazi Germany, young Liesel Meminger is sent to live with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann in a small town because her mother, a Communist, is in danger. Liesel struggles with her new life and the loss of her biological family, but Hans proves to be a kind and patient foster father, teaching her to read after she steals a book from a graveside. Her love for books and words grows, providing a refuge from the escalating persecution surrounding her and resonating with Hans' own love of music and art, which he also covertly maintains. Liesel's bond with her new family deepens, and she becomes friends with Rudy, a blonde-haired boy with ambitions of emulating Olympic athlete Jesse Owens.

As the political climate worsens with the outbreak of World War II, the Hubermanns' basement becomes a hiding place for Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man whose father saved Hans' life during World War I. The relationship between Liesel and Max develops through their shared affinity for words, with Liesel reading to him and sharing the stories she writes. The town faces constant fear and suspicion under the oppressive regime, and the Hubermanns risk their lives as they protect Max from the Gestapo. While Liesel forges relationships within her new world, the lurking danger outside threatens to tear apart the fragile sanctuary that she and her loved ones have created.