Chihiro Ogino, a ten-year-old girl, travels to her new home with her parents. As they drive through the countryside, they stumble upon what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Chihiro, hesitant and wary, follows her curious parents as they explore the eerie site. They come across a deserted food stall filled with freshly prepared dishes. Ignoring Chihiro’s protests, her parents greedily eat the food, and to her shock, they transform into pigs.
Terrified and alone, Chihiro flees deeper into the mysterious world and finds herself trapped in a strange and magical realm inhabited by spirits and supernatural creatures. As night falls, the once-deserted park comes alive with spirits, and Chihiro begins to disappear, her form fading into invisibility. She is saved by a boy named Haku, who appears to know her and warns her to leave before it’s too late. When she cannot escape, Haku advises her to seek help from Kamaji, the boiler man at the bathhouse run by the powerful witch Yubaba.
The bathhouse, a towering structure, serves as a haven for spirits to rest and cleanse themselves. Inside, Chihiro meets Kamaji, a spider-like man who oversees the bathhouse’s boiler room. Kamaji initially dismisses her, claiming he doesn’t need help, but Lin, a worker in the bathhouse, takes pity on Chihiro and helps her meet Yubaba. To survive in this world and rescue her parents, Haku tells Chihiro she must get a job from Yubaba, as only those who work can stay without being turned into animals.
Yubaba, a domineering and cunning witch, reluctantly agrees to give Chihiro a job but takes her name away as part of the contract, renaming her “Sen.” Chihiro learns that forgetting her real name means she will never be able to return to the human world. Determined, she accepts the job and begins working under Lin, performing menial tasks in the bathhouse. Though overwhelmed by the challenges, Chihiro’s resourcefulness and kindness begin to win over the bathhouse’s staff and spirits.
One day, Chihiro encounters a mysterious spirit named No-Face, a shadowy figure who initially appears harmless. When Chihiro shows him kindness by letting him into the bathhouse, he begins offering gold to the workers, who greedily cater to his every whim. However, No-Face becomes increasingly dangerous, consuming several workers in his attempt to gain Chihiro’s attention. Chihiro, undeterred, eventually confronts No-Face and offers him a medicinal dumpling she received earlier, forcing him to vomit out the consumed workers and expel the darkness within him. She leads No-Face away from the bathhouse, where he calms and returns to his gentle nature.
Meanwhile, Chihiro learns that Haku is a dragon spirit who serves Yubaba. However, he is gravely injured after stealing a magical seal from Yubaba’s twin sister, Zeniba. Chihiro rushes to save him, feeding him part of the medicinal dumpling, which helps him expel a cursed slug placed on him by Yubaba. Chihiro’s bravery and compassion earn Haku’s gratitude, and he begins to remember fragments of his past.
To return the stolen seal and seek Zeniba’s help, Chihiro embarks on a journey to Zeniba’s cottage. She is accompanied by No-Face, who has found peace, and a tiny bird and mouse that were once Yubaba’s cursed familiars. At Zeniba’s home, Chihiro finds a welcoming and kind witch, a stark contrast to Yubaba. Zeniba forgives Haku and helps Chihiro understand the importance of remembering her identity.
As Chihiro prepares to leave Zeniba’s cottage, Haku arrives in his dragon form to bring her back to the bathhouse. During their flight, Chihiro recalls a childhood memory of falling into a river and being saved by its spirit. She realizes that Haku is the spirit of the Kohaku River, whose name she had forgotten. By remembering his name, she breaks the spell Yubaba had placed on him, freeing him from her control.
Back at the bathhouse, Yubaba sets one final test for Chihiro: to identify her parents among a group of pigs. Confident in her understanding of herself and the magical world, Chihiro correctly states that none of the pigs are her parents, breaking the curse on them. Yubaba, bound by her own rules, must let Chihiro and her parents go.
Chihiro reunites with her parents, who have no memory of their transformation or their time in the spirit world. As they leave the amusement park, the path they once took is now overgrown, suggesting time has passed differently in the human world. Chihiro, now stronger and more mature from her experiences, walks forward with her family, ready to face her new life.
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