The classic story, which you probably read in school, is a dystopian novel about a society that lives by very strict and uniformed rules. It's the story of a future in which families are given children, excess of kids are killed, elderly are discarded when they reach the end of their usefulness and everyone in the society must dedicated their lives to a special career based on their skill sets. 

Jonas, our protagonist, is given the task of being the memory holder, the only person in the society who can remember the past. The Giver, his mentor, passes memories to him that change his mindset. He experiences past memories of snow, beaches, Christmas and love. 

Those emotions evoke in Jonas the need to see the world for what it really is. We embark on an adventure with him to escape the only life he knows.