Jonas, who is eleven years old, is apprehensive about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve, where he will be assigned his job or his "assignment in the community". In his society, little privacy is allowed; even private houses have two-way intercoms which can be used to listen in for infractions of the rules. However, the rules appear to be readily accepted by all, including Jonas. Unlike the rest of his classmates who are assigned to various positions, Jonas is selected for a rare and special position of Receiver. He then learns that he will be bestowed with memories unknown to the rest of the community by his predecessor.
Under the guidance of the present Receiver, a surprisingly kind man who has the same rare, pale eyes as Jonas, the boy absorbs memories that induce for the first time feelings of true happiness and love. Also, for the first time, Jonas knows what it is to see a rainbow, and to experience snow and the thrill of riding a sled down a hill. However, he is also given darker memories of pain, starvation, war, and death. These are memories of the Community's deep past. Jonas learns that the Community engineered a society of "sameness" to protect its people against this past, yet he begins to understand the tremendous loss he and his people have endured by giving their memories away, embracing "sameness".