Plot
Shōya Ishida and his friends bully Shōko Nishimiya, a transfer student who was born deaf. When the principal learns of the bullying, not wanting to face consequences, Shōya's friends frame him as the sole perpetrator to save face. Shōya blames Shōko when she tries to help him, and having had enough of the abuse, Shōko finally snaps and physically attacks him as revenge. The latter is subsequently transferred to another school, with Shōya keeping her notebook.
With his reputation as a bully following him through middle school, Shōya becomes a depressed loner in high school who believes suicide is his only absolution. However, he makes amends with those he has wronged before ending his life. Shōya reconciles with Shōko when returning her notebook at the sign language center she attends, realizing she is still lonely due to her shyness. Shōya is also befriended by Tomohiro Nagatsuka, a similarly friendless classmate who feels indebted to Shōya for saving him from a bully.
Shōya tries to meet up with Shōko to help her feed the koi in the river, much to the ire of her younger sister, Yuzuru. When Shōya illegally jumps into the river to retrieve Shōko's notebook, Yuzuru takes a photo of the incident and posts it online to have him suspended from school. Yuzuru runs away from home after an argument with Shōko over the incident. Shōya offers to let Yuzuru stay at his house, and the two begin to bond.
Shōya helps Shōko reconnect with Miyoko Sahara, a kind classmate who genuinely befriended Shōko and is currently in the same school as Naoka Ueno, who also bullied Shōko and weasels back into Shōya's life. Shōko also meets Miki Kawai, her elementary school class president, who now attends the same school as Shōya and is in a relationship with Satoshi Mashiba. Shōko later gives Shōya a gift and verbally confesses her feelings for him, but runs off upset when Shōya mishears her. Shōya invites Shōko to an amusement park with Tomohiro, Miyoko, Miki, and Satoshi. They are joined by Naoka, who is infatuated with Shōya while trying to reconnect him with their old friends.
Naoka also grudges Shōko for Shōya's misfortune before slapping her, which Yuzuru secretly records for Shōya to see. This leads to the group falling out the following day when Miki desperately exposes Shōya's past to the others to remain blameless in Shōko's bullying. Shōya isolates himself from everyone but the Nishimiyas. After Shōko and Yuzuru's grandmother passes away, Shōya takes them to the countryside to cheer them up, where he realizes that Shōko blames herself for everything that has happened to him. Shōya decides to devote his entire social life to the sisters.
During a fireworks festival, Shōko leaves early, ostensibly to finish her homework. Shōya follows her to retrieve Yuzuru's camera, finding Shōko preparing to jump from her balcony. Shōya manages to stop her, only to fall into the river below. He is rescued by his former friends Kazuki Shimada and Keisuke Hirose, but his injuries render him comatose. An enraged Naoka physically assaults Shōko and her mother, blaming them for Shōya's coma, and Shōko experiences an emotional breakdown at Miyako's feet, blaming herself for everything.
One night, Shōko dreams about receiving a farewell visit from Shōya. Shōya awakens from his coma and makes his way to the bridge, where he finds Shōko weeping. He apologizes for bullying her and tells her not to blame herself for how his life has turned out. He also admits his original plan to commit suicide but has decided against it while asking Shōko to help him keep living, to which she agrees.
When Shōya returns to school, he reunites with his friends and realizes how much they still care for him. As they all go to the school festival together, Shōya tears up, realizing he has finally redeemed himself.
