Over the sound of gentle music, we are introduced to a rock star called Pink, who is beginning to suffer the effects of his increasing isolation and alienation from the rest of the world. Despite outward appearances, he is disaffected by and filled with disgust and contempt for the fans who adore him ("In the Flesh?"). Viewing his isolation as a metaphorical "wall" between himself and the world, he begins to trace where the various "bricks" that compose it have come from ("The Thin Ice"). Pink never knew his father, who was killed in action during the Second World War soon after Pink was born. Pink's childhood suffered greatly from the absence of a father figure, beginning the process that would lead to him constructing the wall ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1"). Pink's schooling offers no solace; his teachers are cruel, authoritarian bullies, and the school system repressive and confining ("The Happiest Days of Our Lives", "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2"). Pink's mother, deeply affected by the loss of her husband, is smothering and overprotective, bitterly resisting Pink's efforts to mature away from her and acting devastated when Pink falls in love with and marries a young woman ("Mother"). Despite his wealth and success, he remains prone to depression and fixated on reliving his childhood traumas, including his fearful memories of growing up during the Blitz ("Goodbye Blue Sky"). All of these elements act as bricks in the wall that Pink is constructing between himself and the world.
In the present day, Pink's marriage is falling apart due to the tensions introduced by his life as a musician on top of his pre-existing issues ("Empty Spaces"). The wall Pink is building between himself and the world is growing stronger, almost completely isolating himself from other people. He attempts to lose himself by in engaging in spendthrift behavior ("What Shall We Do Now?") and having meaningless sex with groupies ("Young Lust"), but when he tries to call his wife via a transatlantic call the operator informs him that a man is answering, and hanging up every time, Pink is stunned to realise that his wife is also having an affair, which further accelerates his impending breakdown. In a rage, he destroys his hotel room, terrifying a groupie he is with and chasing her away ("One of My Turns"). Pink falls into a self-pitying depression, which further distances him from the world ("Don't Leave Me Now"). Deciding that he cannot and doesn't need to rely on anyone else, he decides to complete his "wall" ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3") and fully detach himself from the rest of the world ("Goodbye Cruel World").
Pink soon realises his mistake in completing the wall and tries to find his way back out, but his emotional isolation is too complete, and he realises that he is trapped ("Hey You"). He is unable to see or hear anyone else ("Is There Anybody Out There?"), and has nothing in his life except empty possessions that hold no value or meaning for him ("Nobody Home"). His disaffection has destroyed his childhood promise, and he has no one and nothing in his life that is worth anything to him. He realises that he now feels nothing at all, and enters a catatonia wherein he reflects on the loss of his father and the disintegration of his life ("Vera", "Bring The Boys Back Home"). Pink's manager finds him in his hotel room in this dissociative state, and has a doctor give him a dose of drugs to get him ready for his latest concert ("Comfortably Numb"). Filled with drugs and incredibly high ("The Show Must Go On"), as he plays, he begins to hallucinate that he is a fascist dictator, and that the adoring fans he is playing to are his worshipful legions ("In The Flesh"). This triggers a breakdown where he incites the crowd to violence against "undesirables" such as homosexuals, Jewish people and ethnic minorities ("Run Like Hell"). But he reserves particular hatred for his fans, promising that he would shoot them all if possible.
As Pink's ranting becomes more and more hate-filled and incoherent ("Waiting For The Worms"), he is horrified to realise that his fans continue to worship and adore him. Briefly coming to his senses ("Stop!"), he abruptly stops his rant, and retreats back into his mind. He begins to put himself on trial ("The Trial") charging himself with feeling emotions and seeking connections to humanity. Before a Judge, he examines the various bricks that he used to build the wall — in particular his bullying teacher, his stifling mother, and his decaying relationship with his wife. The Judge orders Pink to be exposed before everyone and to tear down his Wall, essentially reintegrating himself into the world. Pink expresses regret and hopes to find the people who truly love him waiting for him, while acknowledging that he may have pushed some of them too far away ("Outside the Wall"). While it is not revealed what then happens to Pink, the sounds of a wall being destroyed can be heard, fading into gentle music.
