. Eighteen-year-old Sophie, who runs her late father’s hat shop, has a chance encounter with the mysterious wizard Howl who takes a liking to her. ..
The meeting attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who has been seeking Howl’s love for her own, and the Witch places a curse on Sophie, turning her into a 90-year-old woman with the inability to tell anyone about the curse. ..
Sophie decides to seek out Howl in the Wastes, encountering and befriending an animated scarecrow she names Turnip Head. ..
They eventually come across Howl’s moving castle; inside, Sophie is greeted by the fire demon Calcifer that powers the castle and recognizes that Sophie has been cursed. ..
Calcifer offers to break the curse in exchange if Sophie can break the bond between Howl and Calcifer. ..
When Howl arrives, Sophie claims that she is the castle’s new cleaning lady. As Sophie adjusts to life in the castle, she discovers that the front door is a magic portal that leads to several destinations. She also comes to learn that Howl is vain and immature, and that the Witch of the Waste’s vengeful behavior was due to how Howl treated her in the past once he discovered her ugly appearance. ..