Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945 Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'La Sombra del Viento' by Julian Carax But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find Then, one night, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from La Sombra del Viento, a character who turns out to be the devil and he is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them