Motosu Urano, a college student and a bookworm of the highest order, loses her life in an avalanche of books and wakes up in another world as a sickly girl named Myne. Nevertheless confident that she can deal with any situation as long as she has books to read, she looks all over her new home for one, but doesn't find any. To make matters worse, she couldn't see any writing in town when out with her mother Eva. She realized that she found herself in a world with a low literacy rate, one where books were prohibitively expensive.

Having learned how expensive books are in this world, Myne resolves to make books of her own. However, she soon finds out just how frail her new body is when she and her elder sister, Turi, decide to go to the gate to deliver something their father forgot—she can hardly take a few steps before running out of breath. But that's when Lutz, a neighborhood kid the same age as Myne, offers his help. Myne is touched by this and soon makes it to the gate. There, Otto gives her his old slate, letting her experience the joy of writing once again.

While everyone is snowed in by the harsh winter, Myne has a plan: a plan to craft pseudo-papyrus as the first step towards making a book. Meanwhile, Eva teaches Turi a bunch of skills in order to prepare her for her upcoming baptism in the summer. Myne is told to think about where she wants to apprentice, but as always, books are the only thing on her mind. As winter rolls on, however, the family bonds and grows closer together, and Myne hits upon the perfect gift to give Turi to wear on her baptism day.

Spring has arrived, and Main is raring to go make clay tablets in the forest. But first, she must convince her family that she can handle the journey.

The season has shifted to summer, and the day of Turi's baptism has arrived. Turi attracts attention with a hair ornament made by Main. Main, who has more opportunities to go to the forest, starts making wooden tablets with the help of Lutz. Meanwhile, Lutz asks Main Lutz to let him meet Otto. Lutz had a dream of becoming a traveling merchant. However, Main, shocked by her repeated failures at making paper, collapses from a high fever before the meeting with Otto.

Lutz and Myne prepare for the meeting with Otto. But Otto brings someone with him, turning a casual meeting into an interview that will decide both Lutz and Myne's futures.

With the paper-making process about to begin, Main can't hide her excitement as she and Lutz go to meet Benno as per his invitation. He reveals that he is willing to arrange for all the equipment and materials they need to make paper, but the ensuing conversation makes Lutz see Main in a very different light.

As Main and Lutz begin making their paper for real, Main's excitement gets the better of her, and Lutz's suspicions come to a head. He resolves to talk to her about it after the paper is finished.

Benno looks to have Myne and Lutz registered with the Merchant Guild, but the guild master proves to be an obstacle. This results in them making plans to meet Frieda, his granddaughter.

Myne learns from Frieda that the illness she has is called the Devouring, and that it will flare up if she ever feels anxiety or loses hope. Almost on cue, her fever starts acting up...

With Myne collapses, everyone she knows comes together in a bid to save her life. But soon, she is faced with a life-or-death decision, one that she must discuss with her family.

The day of Myne and Lutz's baptism has arrived. Wearing a fancy dress and a new hair ornament, Myne appears a clear standout from the rest of the kids, but soon she loses her way and finds herself in what she sees as heaven on earth.

When Main brings up wanting to become an apprentice priestess to her family, she learns the truth about the role and what it entails and soon comes to realize that she is in for the fight of her life.

Myne, Gunther, and Eva head to the cathedral for their fateful meeting, knowing that Myne's life is riding on a successful negotiation. But will things really go so smoothly for them?