Welcome to the world of the Borrowers, a family of gnomes who live under the floor of a large old house. Pod, Homily and their daughter Arrietty live a happy life in a house full of buttons and paper clips. Stamps are used as paintings and matchboxes as cupboards and drawers. Everything they have is 'borrowed' from the grown-ups, who do not know of their existence. Until Arrietty befriends the human boy George.