After the mother of the young Maki Mashiro was burned to death, he formed a new family with his father and stepmother. Deeply sad, Mashiro was gloomy and withdrawn, and it was difficult for him to adapt to the new environment. By chance, he followed a talking heron into an abandoned mysterious tower, but unexpectedly entered the fantasy "world of the dead", and began an incredible adventure... The title of the film pays tribute to the book of the same name published by novelist Yoshino Genzaburo in 1937, but the story of the film was originally created by Hayao Miyazaki.