Summary:
Tokyo, near the end of World War II in the Pacific. Mahito, an 11-year-old boy, loses his mother in a fire and takes shelter with his father in his hometown. They move to an old mansion on a large property, including an isolated tower, which has become a nesting place for gray herons. Mahito is torn between his complicated feelings towards his father, who runs a war materials factory, and his new stepmother, Natsuko, who turns out to be his mother’s younger sister. To make matters worse, he feels alienated at school. Mahito was told that the tower was built by his mother’s great uncle and that he would disappear into the tower and never be seen again. One day, Natsuko suddenly disappears and Mahito enters the tower to look for her. Guided by the gray heron, he involuntarily embarks on a journey to another world.