14岁的小女孩苏西生性活泼、古灵精怪，父亲是一个模型爱好者，母亲是循规蹈矩的传统女性，妹妹大胆，弟弟弱小。生日时，她收获了一部相机，从此爱上了拍照，甚至在一个月间用光了24卷胶卷，令父母十分挠头。一次，全家在逛超市的时候，她偷偷望着橱窗外的男孩发呆。祖母看穿了苏西的心事，那个同班的英国帅哥便是她的暗恋对象。然而，还没等两个人吐露心事，苏西却落入了坏人设下的陷阱。那个色迷迷的邻居哈维，用花言巧语引诱苏西，骗她走入其事先设好的圈套……

本片根据艾丽斯·西伯德的畅销小说改编而成，以苏西的视角、倒叙的方式，讲述了一个魔幻主义的犯罪故事。

My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighborhood.

Watching from her place in heaven, Susie Salmon sees her suburban family devastated by her death, isolated even from one another as they each try to cope with their terrible loss alone. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself.

But life is not quite finished with Susie yet...