Due to the fragile state of health of their mother, who suffers from tuberculosis, the young daughters, Satsuki and Mei, move to the countryside with their father to help set up a home away from...

Due to the fragile state of health of their mother, who suffers from tuberculosis, the young daughters, Satsuki and Mei, move to the countryside with their father to help set up a home away from the city noise and pollution. They prepare an old cottage house for their mother to settle in once she is discharged from hospital care. The girls soon become aware of strange and magical creatures that make their home in the woods, creatures that only they could see. And through their encounters and adventure with the wondrous creatures, the girls learn to appreciate the wonders and spirit of the forests. However one day, upon receiving bad news from the hospital about their mother, little Mei decides to go alone on foot through the countryside to visit her mother at the hospital. She gets lost in the vast countryside and a search party is organized by the villagers to search for her. Sister Satsuki in her desperations seeks the help of one of the magical creatures that they have come to call Totoro.