The Pianist documents the life of Polish Jews during German occupation. The film shows how their lives changed as they faced new restrictions and rising prices. It profiles Wladyslaw Szpilman's family, who were forced to sell their piano and often went hungry in the Warsaw ghetto. Thousands of Jews suffered in the overcrowded and walled-off ghetto, facing starvation, violence from German soldiers, and eventual deportation. Szpilman worked as a pianist to earn money and help his family survive the dire conditions of the ghetto.