Plot
The story takes place in 2010 in Koganei, western Tokyo and like the novel revolves around a group of "tiny people" who are 10 cm tall and live under the floorboards of a typical human household.
A boy named Shō arrives at the house his mother lived in as a child, to live with his great aunt Sadako. When Shō leaves the car, he sees a cat trying to attack something in the bushes, but the cat leaves after being attacked by a crow. Shō goes to see what the cat was trying to attack. He then sees a Borrower named Arrietty.
That night Arrietty's father Pod takes Arrietty above the floorboards to show her how he gets sugar. Their first stop is the kitchen, then they walk within a wall to reach a dollhouse in Shō's bedroom, to get tissue. Before Arrietty and Pod can leave, Arrietty notices Shō is awake, and accidentally drops the sugar cube they got. Shō tells them not to be afraid of him.