Spunky sisters Satsuki and Mei are adjusting to their fascinating new country home - and to life without their mother, who is recovering in a nearby hospital.

Satsuki makes plenty of friends at her new school, but Mei, who is too young for school, has to stay behind. One afternoon, she follows a funny-looking creature to the trunk of an ancient camphor tree and enters the whimsical world of Totoro, a magical forest creature. Will Dad and Satsuki believe her story?