1939, Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. This story is narrated by Death. "Why am I more afraid of you humans than you are of me? Because I can see the terrible things you do to each other."