A 12-year-old girl takes on the thrilling role of a spy, excited by the idea of uncovering secrets. However, she has no idea the dangers that lie ahead, pulling her into a risky world she’s completely unprepared for.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

The movie begins with eleven-year-old Harriet Welsch looking at a market through binoculars and writing her observations. She wants to be a writer and a spy.

She sees an old lady being robbed by a man, who then runs toward her but collapses. Harriet shakes her head in disappointment as he struggles to get up.

At school, Harriet draws Nanomichi on her best friend Sport’s feet, which he then stamps on Janie, and she on Harriet. This is their secret tattoo.

The three friends consider becoming blood buddies but choose a less painful way, using ink instead. Harriet warns them that no one can see it since it’s their secret tattoo.

As they sit talking, Harriet sees a car approaching. She acts dramatically, as if suffocating, and points everyone in that direction.

A student named Marion Hawthorne steps out of the car. Seeing this, the trio pretends to be sick in an exaggerated manner. Marion passes by and politely greets them.

After she walks away, Harriet mocks her, repeating how she says her name. Sport then gets up to go to class, and Janie follows.

Harriet continues analyzing the other students. First is Rachel Hennessy, Marion Hawthorne’s follower, who aspires to be just like her. She imitates her every move.

Then there’s Pinky Whitehead, whom Harriet calls the human fish belly. Janie has a theory that his DNA was mixed with a pint of vanilla yogurt at birth.

Harriet keeps analyzing the rest of the students, theorizing about each of them. She then moves on to their teacher, Miss Elson, who is kind and polite.

But Harriet believes that one day Miss Elson will go on a killing spree, and her neighbors will say she was always such a nice person.

In class, Miss Elson is teaching. She announces that it is time to vote for the next president. The two candidates are Marion Hawthorne and Harriet Welsch.

She explains that the president’s responsibilities include taking attendance, reporting bad behavior, and editing the sixth-grade newspaper. Then, the class votes.

Outside, the three friends meet. Marion has won again, and Harriet is devastated—this makes it three years in a row. Janie proposes they kill her.

She says she can get a poison, a very good undetectable one, and spike Marion’s drink. Sport asks if she can actually do it, and Janie confirms.

They joke about it, and then Sport asks if they want to come over to his place. Janie declines, saying she has to go home because if her amoebas start incubating, they will stink up the house.

Harriet also has to go home for her spy time. She gathers her materials and heads out of the house.

She climbs to the top of a building and peers through a hole in the roof. Below, she sees into an apartment where Harrison Withers lives. She likes him because he loves his work and life.

He lives for his cats, but his true passion is his birds. His birdcages are also beautifully crafted. As she watches, the doorbell rings, and Harrison glances out the window.

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Harriet explains that the health department has been after Harrison for a while, and he has a trick to tell if they’re there for him.

He looks out the window—if the visitor wears a hat, they’re from the health department; if not, they aren’t. This time, the man at the door is wearing a hat, so Harrison decides not to open it.

Harriet then runs off to meet her friends. Sport and Janie are sitting on the doorstep. Sport asks what she’s writing, but she simply shows him the private sign on her notebook.

He asks why she writes all the time, and Harriet replies that she does it because she wants to remember and know everything.

Golly, her nanny, steps outside and tells her that knowing everything is pointless if she doesn’t use that knowledge to appreciate the beauty of the world.

Golly then takes the three kids to a garden. On the way, Harriet asks what they wouldn’t eat for a million dollars and writes down everyone’s response in her notebook.

When they arrive, they spot someone inside. Golly tells them it’s Mrs. W, a friend of hers. They enter, and the kids find plenty of things to play with.

They start running around, exploring everything they can. Golly then proposes a toast. She hands them a drink, telling them to shake it up, take a sip, and wish for what they want most in the world.

Janie says she wants to replicate her own DNA and win the Nobel Prize. Sport wishes to play more baseball games than Cal Ripken Jr. and become rich.

When it’s Harriet’s turn, she says she wants to see the whole world, write about everything she sees, and drink a lot of soda.

The kids keep playing and enjoying themselves until it’s time to go home. They all head back.  At home, Harriet jumps on the bed, giggling and joking with Golly.

Golly tells her it’s time to sleep, and Harriet lies in bed, looking at her. She asks how long Golly has been with her. Golly says she’s been there since Harriet was little.

Harriet then asks for reassurance that Golly will never leave. Golly promises she won’t but adds that one day, Harriet will be big enough not to need her anymore.

Harriet’s parents are at a fancy party, so Golly tells her to sleep. The next morning, Harriet prepares her lunch—a tomato sandwich with mayonnaise.

Her mother, Mrs. Welsch, tells her she should take something else because she’s been eating the same thing for five years.

Harriet insists that she knows what she wants, and what she wants is this. With no other option, Mrs. Welsch lets her be.

Harriet walks to Hong’s grocery shop and sneaks to the back door, peeking inside. She spots a man stealing vegetables and decides to investigate further.

She keeps watching and sees the family who owns the store. The son asks for a van because he wants to go out. Harriet learns that the Hong Fats have a son named Frankie.

He is a cool boy with an American style, while his family, who are Chinese, run the store selling groceries. After making her observations, Harriet heads home.

While she’s in the bathtub, she hears her parents arguing. She listens closely—they’re talking about their business.

Golly comes in and tells her to get out of the tub. Harriet refuses, saying she just got in, but Golly asks to see if her fingers are pruned.

Harriet raises her hand, still listening to the argument outside, but Golly closes the door, saying high-pressure work often causes such arguments.

Harriet then gets out of the bathtub and goes downstairs, where her parents are. They greet her, and as she heads to bed, her mother offers to tuck her in.

Harriet simply says that Golly can do it and heads upstairs with her. Her mother watches as they walk away, talking and laughing about stories.

The next day, Harriet, Janie, and Sport sit on the school stairs, laughing and making fun of the newspaper Marion wrote. Janie reads an article out loud, and they continue mocking it.

Later that night, Harriet’s parents are out, and she stays home with Golly. She watches as Golly prepares a bratwurst, though neither of them actually likes it.

The doorbell rings, and they both rush to answer it. When they open the door, a man stands there holding a pineapple—it’s the vegetable thief Harriet saw earlier.

Golly introduces him as Mr. George Waldenstein, and he steps inside. As they have dinner, Harriet notices Mr. George holding Golly’s hand.

She loudly slurps her soup and compliments it. Golly scolds her, asking where her manners have gone. Harriet jokes that someone must have stolen them.

At this, Mr. George starts staring at her. They lock eyes for a long time until he crosses his eyes. Harriet laughs, accusing him of cheating. He acknowledges her victory and congratulates her on winning the staring contest.

Harriet asks if Mr. George is a delivery boy, and he confirms. She points out that he’s too old for the job and mocks his name.

Golly tries to stop her, but Mr. George starts telling his story. He was once married and ran a big business, but he was miserable. He asked his wife if they could start over, but she left him.

So, he became a delivery man—something he had always wanted. Now, he’s happy, and he turns to Golly, calling her the source of his happiness.

As they talk, the bratwurst burns. Golly smells it and rushes to the stove, devastated to see it completely charred. Mr. George calls it a blessing in disguise.

Now, they can go out for dinner and a movie. Harriet gets excited and begs Golly to agree, but Golly hesitates, fearing the Welsches’ reaction.

Harriet convinces her that her parents won’t be back for hours, and Golly finally agrees. They head out and have an amazing time.

Harriet sits between them at the movie but gets distracted by the film, while Golly and George have their own fun, joking and throwing popcorn at each other.

Harriet and George also start getting along. After the movie, they laugh and act out scenes from it. But eventually, it’s time to go home.

When they arrive, Harriet notices the lights are on. Mrs. Welsch steps outside relieved to see her daughter and hugs her. Then she scolds Golly for keeping Harriet out past curfew.

Golly tries to explain, but Mrs. Welsch won’t listen. She fires her on the spot. George tries to intervene, and both Harriet and her father protest, but Golly accepts the decision.

Everyone, including Mrs. Welsch, is shocked. Inside, Mrs. Welsch tries to explain—she acted on impulse, and they need Golly because Harriet needs her. She begs her to stay.

But Golly decides it’s time to leave. Harriet is old enough to take care of herself now. Harriet listens, hiding behind the stairs. When Golly turns, they lock eyes.

Golly walks over to Harriet, and they start reciting a story they’ve read together before. Harriet hugs her tightly, devastated by her decision to leave.

The next day, Golly packs her bags and waits outside for a taxi. Harriet brings her the last of her belongings, feeling heartbroken.

Harriet asks what Golly plans to do next, and Golly says she’ll travel. When Harriet asks if she’ll be a nanny for other kids, Golly reassures her that she could never love any other children more than her.

She tells her there will only ever be one Harriet for her. She notices Harriet hasn’t been doing her usual work and suggests she get back to it. Harriet, disheartened, shows no interest.

Golly tells her that just because she’s alone now doesn’t mean there aren’t people to observe. Harriet should keep watching the world and filling her notebook with thoughts about the people she sees.

Golly expresses her confidence that Harriet will become a great spy. One day, when Harriet publishes a book, Golly promises to be the first in line for an autographed copy.

Hearing this, Harriet begins to cry and tries to hold back her tears. Golly encourages her to let it all out. A taxi arrives, and the driver loads Golly’s bags. She bids Harriet a final farewell and leaves.

Harriet feels Golly’s absence deeply. Everything seems different without her. She sits alone in her room, reading. Her mother comes in and asks if she’s okay. Harriet quietly says she is.

Later, Harriet goes outside to observe her surroundings, as she always does. Looking through the roof at Harrison’s house, she notices there are no cats.

Harrison is picking up items and putting them in place, looking visibly upset. Harriet realizes something is wrong.

She watches as a man from the health office carries the cats in a bag and places them in his car.

Harrison sits down, sad and broken after losing his beloved pets. Harriet, moved by his pain, takes out her notebook and writes it all down.

After this, she goes to Hong Fats’ store and sees Frankie injured. The family is scolding him because he crashed the van.

His mother and father are angry at him, and Frankie is trying to defend himself. Amidst this, his grandpa gets up from the chair he was getting massaged on.

Frankie tries to tell him that everything is cool, but his grandpa starts hitting him with a folded newspaper. Harriet observes everything.

She laughs and tells herself that all families are somehow the same, then starts writing her observations. As she is doing so, she sees Sport walking to the store.

He picks the things he needs and puts them on the counter. The cashier calculates and tells him it is 6.75 dollars. He sees that the money he has is not enough and contemplates which item to return.

At this time, Harriet walks into the store and greets Sport. She gives him money, saying that he dropped it outside.

Sport pays for the groceries and walks out of the store as Harriet looks at him walking away. The next day in class, Miss Elson asks the students for ideas for the upcoming pageant.

Janie suggests the Manhattan Project and says she can be J. Robert Oppenheimer, but Miss Elson drops the idea. Everyone starts throwing out suggestions, and Miss Elson writes them on the board.

Finally, Marion gets up and suggests her idea, which is a giant holiday feast. She suggests serving something healthy, like vegetables and grains. This, of course, makes Harriet and Janie angry.

Later that day, while Harriet is at Janie’s house, Janie shows her a chemical she mixed. Harriet, hating the smell, asks what it is.

Janie explains that it’s a sulfur-based alkaloid. She says she wants it to chemically fuse with combustibles. Harriet doesn’t understand and asks what that means.

Janie explains that she’s trying to make a stink bomb. Her plan is to attach it to the school’s air duct, set a timer, and, when the play starts, it will explode. The smell will be so unbearable that everyone will run out of the auditorium.

As they talk, Janie’s mother walks in. She asks if they’re ready for the play, and they tell her they’re looking forward to it.

She then notices Janie’s experiment and asks what it is. Janie tries to stop her from touching it, but her mother does, and the chemical spills on her face.

This infuriates her mother, who scolds Janie. She tells her they’ll have a serious conversation about her experiments and leaves the room, mumbling angrily.

After this, Harriet goes to Sport’s house. She gathers things around and piles them up to reach the window and peek inside.

Standing on the pile, she looks through the window and sees Sport playing with his father. They are laughing and having fun.

As Harriet watches, the pile she built starts shaking. It collapses, leaving Harriet hanging from the window. She tries to hold on but realizes she can’t. Desperate, she calls for Sport.

Sport comes to the window and pulls Harriet inside the house. They sit together and start fixing Sport’s hair while talking.

They hear Sport’s dad mumbling in his sleep, and Sport tells her it’s one of his daydreams. His father believes all real writers have them.

Harriet tells Sport that her father calls people like his dad starving artists. Sport responds that no one starves because he cooks, cleans, does the dishes, and handles the household budget.

He shows her a book where he keeps track of the finances. Each week, when his father gets a check, Sport pays the bills, and whatever is left becomes food money.

He then tells her he has to get to work and starts cleaning the house. Harriet begins taking pictures of him in his apron.

Harriet goes to the home of Agatha K. Plummer, a house with tight security. She begins her stalking mission there.

She tries to blend into the environment and takes out her binoculars to look inside. She sees a maid taking a dog from a man and entering the house.

Harriet quickly runs to the house and wedges a pencil in the door to keep it from closing. As she sneaks inside, the dog spots her and starts barking.

Harriet tries to quiet the dog, but its barking alerts the maid. Panicking, Harriet climbs into a nearby dumbwaiter to hide.

The maid scolds the dog for barking without reason and takes it upstairs. Harriet then pulls the dumbwaiter rope to follow quietly. Upstairs, she hears Mrs. Plummer talking and begins writing down everything she can hear.

Suddenly, the dumbwaiter rope makes a noise. Mrs. Plummer hears it and asks what it is. The maid, confused, is ordered to check.

When the maid opens the dumbwaiter, she finds Harriet sitting inside. Both the maid and Harriet scream, startling Mrs. Plummer, who joins in the screaming.

After the chaos, Harriet is kicked out of the house. She walks away, sad and devastated about being caught, lamenting that a good spy never gets caught.

At school, Sport reads the newspaper to Janie and Harriet, mocking Marion as usual. As they laugh and giggle, they notice kids running to the park.

Sport asks if Harriet will join them to play or if she’ll do her spy thing. Harriet hesitates at first but eventually agrees to play.

They all head to the park and start arguing about what to play, rejecting every suggestion as not good enough.

Finally, Sport suggests bumper tag, and they all agree, beginning the game. Harriet gets so into it that she drops her notebook.

As they play, Marion notices Harriet’s notebook with Private written on the cover and picks it up.

After the game, Harriet decides to go home and starts gathering her belongings. While doing so, she realizes her notebook is missing and frantically tells Janie and Sport about it.

Meanwhile, Marion sits with a group of other kids, reading Harriet’s notebook, which is filled with sharp observations and comments about the other students.

Harriet, Janie, and Sport rush over to Marion, and Harriet demands her notebook back. By then, Marion has already read a part about herself.

When Marion refuses to return the notebook, Janie stands up for Harriet and also demands it back. Marion, in response, flips to the page where Harriet wrote about Janie and hands it to her.

Janie reads it aloud. Harriet had written that Janie creeps her out and that she feels like Janie will grow up to be a nutcase.

This angers Janie, and she hands the notebook back to Marion, stepping behind her and switching sides. Marion continues reading from the notebook.

Sport angrily demands the notebook, but Marion flips to the section about him. Harriet tries to stop her, but Marion presses on.

In the notebook, Harriet wrote that Sport is poor and can barely afford food. She even described a time she pretended he dropped a dollar so she could give it to him for milk and bread. Harriet also criticized his father, saying he should get a real job.

Hearing this, Sport becomes visibly hurt and walks out of the park. Harriet tries to explain, but he doesn’t stop.

Later that night, Harriet lies in bed, devastated by the day’s events. Her mother comes in and asks if she’s okay, but Harriet insists she’s fine.

She starts quietly calling out for Golly, believing Golly would know what to do. Her mother, standing by the door, overhears this, but Harriet continues to insist she’s fine.

The next day at school, Harriet walks in, ashamed of what happened. She tries to greet Sport, but he ignores her. She calls out to Janie, but Janie also ignores her and asks Sport if he heard anything.

This makes Harriet even sadder. The students begin passing notes. Janie reads one, laughs, and shows it to another girl, who also laughs.

The note is then tossed to Sport, who reads it and laughs before placing it on the table. The paper falls to the floor, and Harriet slides it toward herself with her shoe, picking it up.

When Harriet reads the note, it says that she smells. Upset, she goes to the bathroom and begins washing her armpit and feet.

Afterward, Harriet starts writing in her new notebook. As she walks back to school, she sees students gathered around, mocking her.

Harriet confronts Marion, and they begin arguing. Harriet threatens them, saying she’ll do something to them if they keep messing with her. Marion, unfazed, retaliates by revealing that they actually have a plan.

Harriet starts stalking them and sees them working on something. She soon realizes they are forming a club to catch spies.

She sits alone, writing in her notebook as usual, when suddenly, kids from school—including Janie and Sport—start running around her.

She tries to escape, but more kids surround her. She climbs up a ladder to get away, but a police officer catches her.

At home, her parents scold her. She defends herself, saying it was just one man, but they also bring up her poor school performance.

Miss Elson had told them that Harriet isn’t doing well in class because she spends all her time writing in her notebook. Harriet knows this is true.

Her father tells her that her obsession isn’t healthy, so they’ve decided she shouldn’t write anymore. They are going to take her notebook away.

Harriet refuses to give it up, but her father forces her. She yells at them, saying their lives are repetitive and boring.

Her father orders her to drop her attitude and tells her she will not be allowed to have a notebook again. Miss Elson will check her every day at school.

The next day, Miss Elson searches Harriet for a notebook before allowing her to sit. The students laugh at this.

Later, while everyone is painting, Harriet tries to read but is distracted by the students whispering. She keeps glancing up, seeing them talk about her.

Then, a student accidentally stumbles into her, spilling blue paint all over her. Harriet screams in shock, but the students pretend it was an accident.

Others rush over, acting like they’re helping, but instead smear the paint even more. Marion then deliberately pours another cup of paint on her.

Furious, Harriet pushes everyone away and slaps Marion across the face. Then she runs out of the room and heads home.

Harriet gets into the bathtub to wash. As she sits in the water, she keeps having flashbacks of the others mocking her and laughing.

She scrubs off the best friend stamp and washes away the paint, determined to get revenge on those who wronged her.

The next day in class, Harriet starts carving everyone’s names into the desk. The sound attracts attention, but no one knows what she’s doing. Then, she begins her revenge.

She cuts Laura’s hair while sitting behind her in class. She ruins another student’s locker posters. She takes out Carrie’s bra and hangs it on the flagpole.

She destroys Janie’s experiment. She wrecks Frank’s construction project. Finally, it’s Marion’s turn.

In the bathroom, Marion tries to intimidate Harriet, warning her to stay away. But Harriet retaliates with brutal words.

She brings up Marion’s father, revealing that he lives in Amsterdam and hasn’t seen her in three years. Everything Marion says about him is a lie.

He hasn’t come to visit because he doesn’t love her Harriet walks away, leaving Marion devastated and humiliated.

Then, Harriet prints a picture of Sport wearing an apron and skirt while cleaning. She posts it all over the school. Sport sees her doing it. Instead of confronting her, he silently walks away, looking hurt.

At home, Harriet cries alone in her room. As she sobs, her parents storm in, demanding to know what she did at school because they have been receiving calls from angry parents.

Their kids are terrified and upset because of Harriet’s actions. Her parents begin arguing in front of her, and Harriet screams that she is fine. Her mother firmly tells her that she is not fine.

The next day, they take her to a therapist. He plays games with her while analyzing her. When she sees him writing in his notebook, she asks if others would ever take it from him.

The therapist then offers to give her a notebook, and Harriet eagerly starts writing. When the session ends, Harriet asks if she can take the notebook home, but he tells her he needs to discuss it with her parents first.

As they leave, Harriet asks her father what the therapist said. He tells her that the therapist said she is fine, smart, and will grow up to be a writer.

Later that night, Harriet’s mother comes to her room and hands her notebook back.  She reassures Harriet that she did not read it.

Her mother apologizes for not understanding her. They reconcile and hug. As her mother is about to leave, Harriet asks her to tuck her in.

The next day, Harriet sits on the doorstep with her parents, playing. They tell her to turn around. When she does, she sees Golly.  She runs to her, and they hug.

Later, they sit in Harriet’s room, where she tells Golly everything that happened. Golly tells her that she wrote the truth, but people hated hearing it.

She then advises Harriet to apologize, even though she was right.  Harriet asks if Golly can stay, but Golly has to leave.

After this, Harriet goes to Janie’s house and climbs in through her window.  Janie is still angry and asks why she’s there. Harriet tries to explain but struggles to find the right words.

Janie kicks her out of the room and shuts the door on her.  Harriet apologizes, but Janie ignores her.

Harriet then goes to Sport’s house and peeks through the mail slot. She sees Sport’s dad, excited because he has just sold his first book.

Sport notices Harriet and opens the door. He tells her that his father now has a real job.

Sport’s father invites her to stay for a meal, but Sport interrupts, saying she can’t come, and shuts the door on her.

She stands outside, apologizing, but Sport walks away. Harriet then goes to the garden where Golly once took them.

Meanwhile, the other kids are gathered, but Sport and Janie argue with Marion and storm out. The next day in class, Harriet stands up and presents an idea to Miss Elson.

She argues that while the class president is usually the editor of the newspaper, the job is too much for one person.

She also says it isn’t fair because other students don’t get an equal chance.  Marion objects, but Miss Elson asks for the opinions of the other students.

One student stands up and says Harriet is a good writer. They also believe it’s better to have different voices in the newspaper instead of just one.  Sport and Janie support the idea.

Miss Elson then announces that Harriet is now a candidate for newspaper editor and asks for a vote.  The class votes for Harriet, making her the official writer of the school newspaper.

After this, Harriet writes an article featuring everyone she has written about so far. She also includes an apology to the students and writes good things about them.

Everyone loves it, and even Marion laughs while reading it. With this, Harriet makes peace with her friends, and they renew their friendship ink tattoo.

At the opening of the class pageant, Sport, Harriet, and Janie execute their plan.  They detonate their stink bomb through the air vent, causing everyone to flee the auditorium.

Harriet The Spy 1996.