In the Australian outback, a park ranger and two local guides set out to track down a giant crocodile that has been killing and eating the local populace. During the hunt, one of the guides discovers that he has an ESP connection to the giant creature.
女作家海伦（安妮·班克罗夫特 Anne Bancroft 饰）住在纽约，她常常为自己不能买到所需的珍稀图书而沮丧。偶然，她在一本杂志上发现一则来自一家英国旧书店刊登的广告，便抱着试探的心态给这家位于伦敦查令十字街84号的马克书店老板写了求书单。很快，马克书店给了她一个超乎想象的惊喜：她买到了自己一直苦苦寻找的珍品书籍，并且还获得了弗兰克（安东尼·霍普金斯 Anthony Hopkins 饰）对书籍珍本的诚意推荐。自此，两个热爱书籍的人开始了长达20年的书信来往。海伦不仅向弗兰克求购难寻书籍，还与他分享自己
