故事发生在一座位于宾夕法尼亚西部的小镇之中。史戴夫(汤姆·克鲁斯 Tom Cruise 饰)是在镇上高中就读的一名男生,他在橄榄球运动上尤为的有天赋。史戴夫最大的梦想就是能够获得橄榄球奖学金,利用这笔钱离开这个闭塞而又保守的小镇,外出寻找广阔的新天地。
尼克森(格雷格·T·尼尔森 Craig T. Nelson 饰)是校橄榄球队的教练,他也看到了史戴夫身上的天赋。和史戴夫一样,尼克森也渴望着借由自己指导的校队,得到走出小镇的机会。虽然大的方向相同,但一群血气方刚的男孩之间难免会产生碰撞和摩擦,尼克森该怎样调和这些矛盾呢?
A young boy overcomes his obsessive fears by discovering a love for books in this animated fantasy adventure. In a live action wraparound, Macaulay Culkin stars as Richard Tyler, an easily bullied, nervous wreck of a kid who's an expert on safety statistics. His mother and father (Mel Harris and Ed Begley, Jr.) don't know how to inspire their son to embrace life boldly. Barely able to leave the house, Richard ventures out one day, but he gets lost in a storm and ends up at a mysterious library. Inside, he slips, knocks himself unconscious and finds himself in a cartoon realm where books come to life. Guided by Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (Frank Welker), Tyler experiences the adventures of classic novels such as Moby ~censored~ and Treasure Island, and he even meets some famed fictional characters, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Leonard Nimoy). Through his experiences in the pages of the legendary books, Richard confronts his phobias and learns to face life more courageously. The Pagemaster was directed by Joe Johnston, a former special effects supervisor and production designer who later directed Jumanji (1995) and October Sky (1999).