Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy boy who lives with his widowed father Barney. One morning, Barney tells Bastian of his concern after hearing he daydreams in school and tells Bastian he needs to stop. On his way to school, Bastian is chased by bullies, and escapes by hiding in a bookstore. He meets the owner, Carl Conrad Coreander, and Bastian's interest in books leads him to ask about the one Mr. Coreander is reading, The Neverending Story, but he advises against reading it. With his curiosity piqued, Bastian secretly takes the book. Arriving at school late, Bastian hides in the building's attic to read. The book describes the world of Fantasia, a fantasy realm that is slowly being destroyed by a malevolent force called " The Nothing ". Messengers are heading to the Ivory Tower to seek help from the Childlike Empress. To their dismay, they learn that she has fallen ill. The young warrior Atreyu is tasked with discovering a cure for her illness in order to save Fantasia. Atreyu is given an amulet called Auryn that can guide and protect him in the quest. As Atreyu sets out, a wolf -like being named Gmork is sent to kill Atreyu. Atreyu's quest leads him to seek the advice of Morla, the Ancient One, in the Swamps of Sadness. While making their way through the swamp, Atreyu's horse Artax is overcome by the sadness and sinks into the swamp, leaving Atreyu to continue alone. Morla, weary and indifferent, being a prisoner in the swamp, directs Atreyu to the Southern Oracle, ten thousand miles distant instead of helping him directly. Gmork closes in as an exhausted Atreyu begins to sink into the swamp before being saved by the Luck Dragon Falkor, who takes him to the home of Urgl and Engywook, two gnomes who live near the gates to the Southern Oracle. Atreyu just manages to make it through the first deadly gate but at the second gate, a mirror reveals an image of Bastian reading the book. Atreyu eventually meets the Southern Oracle, who tells him that the only way to save the Empress is to find a human child who lives beyond the boundaries of Fantasia to give her a new name. In flight, Atreyu is knocked from Falkor's back by the Nothing, losing the Auryn in the process. He wakes on the shore of some abandoned ancient ruins, where he finds several murals depicting his adventure, including one of Gmork, who explains that Fantasia represents humanity's imagination and is thus without boundaries, while the Nothing is a manifestation of the loss of hopes and dreams. Gmork lunges at Atreyu who slays him with an improvised weapon as the Nothing begins consuming the ruins. Falkor manages to retrieve Auryn and rescue Atreyu. Later only small fragments of Fantasia remain in a starry void. Fearing that they have failed, they come upon the Ivory Tower intact. Inside, Atreyu reports he failed the Empress, but she assures him that he has succeeded and brought to her a human child who has been following his quest. She explains that Bastian has been following Atreyu's adventures and they have followed Bastian throughout the film. He has become a part of the story they are all sharing in. As the Nothing begins to destroy the Tower, Atreyu is knocked unconscious. The Empress pleads with Bastian to call out her new name in order to save Fantasia. Filled with doubt, Bastian declines to believe any of it could be happening. After she implores him directly to call out her new name, he runs to the window of the attic and calls out her new name: "Moonchild". The Empress presents Bastian with a grain of sand, the last remnant of Fantasia. The Empress tells him that he has the power to bring Fantasia back with his imagination. Bastian re-creates Fantasia and flies on Falkor's back to see the land and its inhabitants restored, including Atreyu and Artax. When Falkor asks what his next wish will be, Bastian brings Falkor to the real world to chase down the school bullies. The film narrates that Bastian had many more wishes and adventures before returning to the ordinary world but that is another story.

Brantley Foster is a recent graduate of college who has moved to New York City, where he has accepted an entry-level job as a financier. Upon arriving, he discovers that the company for which he is supposed to work has been taken over by a rival corporation. As a result, Brantley is laid off before even starting work. After several interviews for other jobs, he is unsuccessful due to over- or underqualification, or having no experience. Brantley ends up working in the mailroom of the Pemrose Corporation, directed by his "uncle" Howard Prescott, a distant relative he has never met. Pemrose was founded by Howard's father-in-law. Howard achieved the presidency by marrying his boss's daughter, Vera Pemrose. Brantley meets Vera by driving her home in a company limo at his employer's request. She persuades him to stay for a swim and seduces him. Seeing Howard arrive, Brantley and Vera realize that she is his aunt by marriage. She had seduced him out of revenge against her husband for having an affair with a woman at the office. Brantley changes as fast as he can and narrowly escapes the mansion without being spotted by Howard. After inspecting company reports, Brantley realizes that Howard and most of his fellow "suits" (executives) are making pointless or damaging decisions. He notices an empty office in the building due to one of Howard's frequent firings. Using his access to the mailroom and his understanding of the company, he creates and assumes the identity of Carlton Whitfield, a new executive. While handling two jobs (switching between casual apparel and business suits in the elevator), Brantley sparks romantic interest from Christy Wills, a fellow financial wizard who recently graduated from Harvard. Howard, unbeknownst to Brantley, is having an affair with Christy. When Howard asks her to spy on Carlton Whitfield, whom he suspects is a corporate spy for Donald Davenport, she falls in love with "Whitfield", not knowing he is actually Brantley. The Pemrose Corporation is preparing for its impending hostile takeover. If Davenport Corporation absorbs Pemrose in this merger, all workers will get fired, but Howard and his aide Art Thomas will retain their jobs as a favor for cutting money from areas to ease the takeover. Howard believes the company should cut every area, but that would ruin the company and make Davenport begin his hostile takeover. Brantley pitches the idea with Christy to expand the business to prevent the takeover. Later, at a corporate party at Howard and Vera's home, Vera introduces Brantley to three of New York's top financiers to whom he discusses his ideas about the company. Brantley's double identity is discovered when he, Christy, Vera and Howard end up in the same bedroom after the party. Brantley and Christy end their blossoming relationship. He gets fired from his job as Whitfield, as does Christy for refusing to continue her affair with Howard. Vera is divorcing Howard, since she found out about his affair with Christy and his plan to propose to her. While both Christy and Brantley are moving out of their offices, they end up in the same elevator and reconcile, conceiving a revenge plan together with Vera. They raise enough cash, bonds, and stocks to take control of the Pemrose Corporation and, with the help of the financiers from the party, proceed with a hostile takeover bid of Davenport's corporation. Vera, already hating Howard for his inept business practices which were driving her father's empire into the ground, tells the board that she now controls the majority of the voting stock. She promptly replaces him with Brantley, with Jean (Carlton's secretary), Christy and Melrose (Brantley's mailroom colleague) at his side to prevent the takeover and keep everyone's jobs safe. While security guards escort Howard and Art from the Pemrose Building, Brantley and Christy start planning their future together, personal as well as professional.

Griffin Mill is a Hollywood studio executive dating story editor Bonnie Sherow. He hears story pitches from screenwriters and decides which have the potential to be made into films, green-lighting only twelve out of 50,000 submissions every year. His job is threatened when up-and-coming exec Larry Levy begins working at the studio. Mill has also been receiving death threat postcards, assumed to be from a screenwriter whose pitch he rejected. Mill surmises that the disgruntled writer is David Kahane, and Kahane's girlfriend June Gudmundsdottir tells him that Kahane is at the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena, at a screening of The Bicycle Thief. Mill pretends to recognize Kahane in the lobby and offers him a scriptwriting deal, hoping this will stop the threats. The two go to a nearby bar where Kahane gets intoxicated and rebuffs Mill's offer, calling him a liar and continuing to goad him about his job security at the studio. In the bar's parking lot, the two men fight. Mill goes too far and drowns Kahane in a shallow pool of water while screaming, "Keep it to yourself!" Mill then stages the crime to make it look like a botched robbery. The next day, after Mill is late for and distracted at a meeting, studio security chief Walter Stuckel confronts him about the murder and says that the police know that he was the last one to see Kahane alive. At the end of their conversation Mill receives a fax from his stalker. Thus, Mill has killed the wrong man, and the stalker apparently knows this. Mill attends Kahane's funeral and gets into conversation with Gudmundsdottir. Detectives Avery and DeLongpre suspect Mill is guilty of murder. Mill receives a postcard from the stalker suggesting that they meet at a hotel bar. While Mill is waiting, he is cornered by two screenwriters, Tom Oakley and Andy Sivella, who pitch Habeas Corpus, a legal drama featuring no major stars and with a depressing ending. Because Mill is not alone, his stalker does not appear. After leaving the bar, Mill receives a fax in his car, advising him to look under his raincoat. He discovers a live rattlesnake in a box and, terrified, bludgeons it with his umbrella. Mill tells Gudmundsdottir that his near-death experience made him realize he has feelings for her. Apprehensive that Levy continues encroaching on his job, Mill invites the two writers to pitch Habeas Corpus to him, convincing Levy that the movie will be an Oscar contender. Mill's plan is to let Levy shepherd the film through production and have it flop. Mill will step in at the last moment, suggesting some changes to salvage the film's box office, letting him reclaim his position at the studio. Having persuaded Sherow to leave for New York on studio business, Mill takes Gudmundsdottir to a Hollywood awards banquet and their relationship blossoms. After Sherow confronts Mill about his relationship with Gudmundsdottir, Mill coldly severs their relationship in front of two writers. Mill takes Gudmundsdottir to an isolated Desert Hot Springs resort and spa. In the middle of Mill and Gudmundsdottir making love, Mill confesses his role in Kahane's murder, and Gudmundsdottir responds by saying she loves him. Mill's attorney informs him that studio head Joel Levison has been fired, and that the Pasadena police want Mill to participate in a lineup. An eyewitness has come forward, but she fails to identify Mill. One year later, studio power players are watching the end of Habeas Corpus with a new, tacked-on, upbeat ending and famous actors in the lead roles. Mill's plan to save the movie has worked and he is head of the studio. Gudmundsdottir is now Mill's wife and pregnant with his child. Sherow objects to the film's new ending and is fired by Levy. Mill rebuffs her when she appeals her termination to him. Mill receives a pitch over the phone from Levy and a man who reveals himself as the postcard writer. The man pitches an idea about a studio executive who kills a writer and gets away with murder. Recognizing the pitch as blackmail, Mill gives the writer a deal, if he can guarantee an ending in which the executive lives happily with the writer's widow. The writer's title for the film is The Player.

Halloween Town is a fantasy world populated by various monsters and supernatural beings associated with the eponymous holiday. Jack Skellington, the well-respected Pumpkin King, leads the town in organizing its annual celebrations. This year however, Jack is weary of the same routine and longs for something new. Upon discovering trees containing doors to other holiday-themed worlds, Jack stumbles through the one leading to Christmas Town and is fascinated by the unfamiliar holiday. Jack returns home and shares his discovery with his friends and neighbors, but they struggle to grasp the concept of Christmas, although they relate to its ruler, Santa Claus, or "Sandy Claws" as Jack mistakenly dubs him. After several futile attempts at finding a way to rationally explain Christmas, Jack decides to "improve" the holiday instead. He announces that Halloween Town will take over Christmas this year and assigns Christmas-themed jobs, such as singing carols, making presents and building a sleigh pulled by skeletal reindeer, to various residents. Sally, the feminine creation of local mad scientist Doctor Finkelstein, experiences a vision predicting that their efforts will end disastrously. Jack, whom she secretly loves, dismisses her warnings and instructs her to make a Santa Claus suit for him. He tasks mischievous trick-or-treating trio Lock, Shock and Barrel with abducting Santa; however, he orders them not to involve their superior Oogie Boogie, a bogeyman with a passion for gambling and Jack's long-time rival, in their plot. When Lock, Shock and Barrel bring Santa to Halloween Town, Jack tells him that he will take care of Christmas this year and orders the trio to keep Santa safe. However, they disobey Jack's orders and bring Santa to Oogie Boogie, who plots to play a game with Santa's life at stake. As Jack departs to deliver presents in the real world, Sally, after failing to stop him beforehand, attempts to rescue Santa from Oogie, only to be captured herself. Jack's Halloween-themed presents terrify the real world's populace, who contact the local authorities and are instructed to lock down their homes for protection. The military is alerted and Jack is shot out of the sky, leading Halloween Town's populace to believe he is dead. It is revealed that he survived and has crashed into a nearby cemetery. Bemoaning the trouble that he has caused, Jack realizes he nonetheless enjoyed the experience and that it gave him new ideas for celebrating next Halloween, reigniting his love for the holiday. Upon returning home, Jack rescues Santa and Sally, confronts Oogie Boogie and defeats him by unraveling a thread holding his cloth form together, causing all of the insects inside Oogie to spill out and reduce him to nothing. Though displeased with Jack for his foolish actions and not listening to Sally earlier, Santa makes amends with him and resumes his yearly duties, replacing Jack's presents with genuine ones and saving Christmas. All of Halloween Town celebrates Jack's return. Santa brings a snowfall to the town, thereby bringing the Christmas spirit upon it, while Jack and Sally finally declare their love for each other.

In the late 20th century, unexplained apocalyptic disasters devastate the world. Most knowledge and technology from the past has apparently been lost, and the former United States reverts to an unconnected pre-industrial society. In 2013, a nomad traveling to St. Rose, Oregon wanders the Western U.S., trading performances of long-forgotten Shakespearean plays for food and water. In one town, the nomad is impressed into the Holnists, a neo-feudalist militia obsessed with a misinterpreted self-help book that serves as the region's tyrannical authority, led by General Bethlehem. The nomad, dubbed "Shakespeare" by Bethlehem, faces harassment by Captain Idaho, who mentions Colonel Getty once challenged Bethlehem for leadership; Bethlehem won the fight and mutilated Getty. The nomad is sent to kill a lion, but he escapes by jumping into a river. Idaho arrives and forces the nomad and another conscript to fight to the death. Idaho kills the conscript, but before he can shoot the nomad, the lion kills him. The nomad flees and takes refuge in an abandoned United States Postal Service Jeep DJ, burning letters and wearing the long-deceased postal carrier's coat to stay warm. Now donning the postal uniform and mail bag, the nomad arrives in the town of Pineview and is held at gunpoint by their leader, Sheriff Briscoe. To avoid execution, the nomad claims to be a "Postman" from the newly-restored U.S. federal government, presenting a letter addressed to elderly villager Irene March as proof. The Postman inspires teenager Ford Lincoln Mercury, who he swears in as a postal carrier and helps reactivate Pineview's abandoned post office. That evening, the Postman is approached by Abby and her husband Michael, who is sterile, to conceive a child for them. The following morning, the Postman leaves for the town of Benning, taking Pineview's mail and packages with him. The postman delivers letters to Benning, bringing the residents hope. Meanwhile, during a raid on Pineview, Bethlehem learns of the Postman's claim of a restored government in Minneapolis. Fearing his loss of power if word spreads, Bethlehem has the post office razed, kills Michael, and abducts Abby. Benning repels a raid by Bethlehem, and the Postman offers to negotiate for them; however, General Bethlehem does not recognize the Postman, refuses to negotiate, and orders him killed. The Postman and Abby flee into the surrounding mountains, where they recover over the winter in an abandoned cabin. In the spring, they leave and encounter another postal carrier, who reveals that Mercury has kept the Postal Service alive by recruiting other carriers and opening more post offices, connecting settlements across the former U.S. and forming a quasi-society in the "Restored United States". Bethlehem, threatened by the rise of the Restored U.S., persecutes and publicly executes postal carriers. Wracked by guilt for their deaths, the Postman reads a fake announcement from the President of the Restored U.S. ordering the Postal Service to disband, and writes a confession to Bethlehem admitting that the Restored U.S. was a lie. Bethlehem orders the execution of Mercury and another postal carrier, and redoubles his efforts to hunt down the Postman. The Postman, Abby, and a group of young postal carriers travel to Bridge City, tailed by Holnist scouts, who reveal Bethlehem is looking for the Postman. The Postman organizes a Restored U.S. Army to face the Holnists in a pitched battle. Unwilling to allow further bloodshed, the Postman reveals to Bethlehem that he is "Shakespeare" and challenges him to a one-on-one duel for power with their troops as witnesses; per Holnist traditions, Bethlehem accepts. The Postman wins the hand-to-hand fight, but spares Bethlehem's life to maintain morale. Bethlehem tries to shoot the Postman as he turns away, but is shot dead by Getty, who disarms the Holnists. Thirty years later in 2043, the Postman dies at the age of 70. His adult daughter Hope speaks at a ceremony unveiling a memorial honoring his efforts in St. Rose, part of the Restored U.S., with the implication that modern society and technology have returned following the country's reestablishment.

Recent Memphis State University Law School grad Rudy Baylor has no high-paying work prospects lined up. He takes a job at a Memphis bar where he meets the bar's owner, J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone, who is also a ruthless but successful ambulance chaser. He hires Rudy as an associate. Bruiser's associates only get paid by finding cases and working them up for trial. Rudy says he has cases, including an insurance bad faith matter he boasts could be worth several million in damages. Interested, Bruiser introduces Rudy to office paralegal Deck Shifflet, a former insurance adjuster of questionable ethics who has a law degree but has failed the bar exam six times. Bruiser employs him because he is resourceful, finds cases, is adept at gathering information, and has useful knowledge of the insurance industry. Rudy has passed the Tennessee bar exam, but is not yet properly licensed to stand as an attorney. When Bruiser fails to show up for court, Rudy attempts to argue the case, but Judge Harvey Hale scolds Rudy and tells him to first get his license. Defense attorney Leo F. Drummond offers to stand for Rudy as Rudy is sworn in before the judge. Afterwards, Rudy discovers that the FBI has raided Bruiser's office, and Bruiser has disappeared. Before fleeing, Bruiser gave Rudy and Deck $5500 each, as payment for a successful case. They pool their money to open a practice. They file suit for middle-aged couple Dot and Buddy Black, whose 22-year-old son, Donny Ray, is terminally ill with leukemia but could have been saved with a bone marrow transplant that their insurance carrier, Great Benefit, denied. Rudy, having never argued a case in court before, now faces experienced lawyers led by Drummond from the prestigious firm Tinley Britt. In chambers, Hale tells Rudy and Drummond that he is set to dismiss the case, seeing it as a "lottery" case that slows down the judicial process. However, Hale suffers a fatal heart attack before he grants the petition for dismissal. A more sympathetic Judge Tyrone Kipler, a former civil rights attorney, replaces Hale. Kipler, known by Deck as disliking Tinley Britt, immediately denies Great Benefit's petition for dismissal. He agrees to fast-track the case so Donny Ray Black's testimony can be recorded before he dies. While seeking new clients at the hospital, Rudy meets Kelly Riker, a victim of domestic violence, whose husband Cliff has beaten her numerous times causing her to require hospitalization. Rudy and Kelly become romantically involved. Rudy persuades Kelly to file for divorce. This eventually leads to a bloody confrontation with Cliff, resulting in Rudy nearly beating him to death. To keep Rudy from being implicated, Kelly orders Rudy to leave the house. She then kills Cliff herself, telling the police it was self-defense. Based on Cliff's long history of domestic abuse, the district attorney declines to prosecute Kelly. Donny Ray dies days after giving a video deposition. The case goes to trial, where Drummond gets the vital testimony of Rudy's key witness, Jackie Lemanczyk, stricken from the record as it is based on a stolen manual disallowed as evidence. Nevertheless, thanks to Rudy's determination and some clandestine reference help from now Caribbean-based fugitive Bruiser (with whom Deck is connected by intermediaries), Jackie's testimony and the Great Benefit Employee Manual are finally admitted into evidence, to Drummond's dismay. Rudy skillfully cross-examines Great Benefit's CEO, Wilfred Keeley. As part of his closing argument, he plays an emotional excerpt from Donny Ray's deposition. The jury finds for Donny Ray's family for both actual damages and enormous punitive damages that Great Benefit cannot pay. It is a great triumph for Rudy and Deck, with Keeley being arrested by the FBI and investigation proceedings into Great Benefit launched in multiple jurisdictions. The insurance company declares bankruptcy, allowing it to avoid paying punitive damages. There is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy or Drummond. Dot expresses satisfaction at putting Great Benefit out of business, leaving the company unable to victimize other families. As this success will create unrealistic expectations for future clients, Rudy decides to abandon his new practice and become a law teacher. He and Kelly leave town together.

Corporate engineer Joe Ross has invented a potentially lucrative "process", the precise nature of which is never revealed. While on a retreat on the island of St. Estèphe, he meets wealthy stranger Julian "Jimmy" Dell and attracts the interest of one of the company's new secretaries, Susan Ricci. Jimmy wants to introduce Joe to his sister, an Olympic-class tennis player, in New York and asks him to deliver a package to her. Susan sits near Joe on the airplane back to New York, converses with him about how "you never know who anybody is," and talks about unwitting drug mules. Suddenly afraid the package might contain something illegal, he opens it on the plane but finds only a 1939 edition of the book Budge on Tennis, which he damages while opening. Once home, he buys an intact copy of the book and drops it at Jimmy's sister’s building, keeping the original at his office. Jimmy suggests that Joe's boss, Mr. Klein, might not give him fair retribution for his work. Jimmy invites Joe to dinner, and seemingly on a lark opens a Swiss bank account for him with a token balance of 15 Swiss francs. Taking him to dinner at a club requiring membership, Jimmy has Joe sign a certificate to join. Over dinner, he advises Joe to consult legal counsel about his position in the company regarding the Process. He invites Joe to meet with his own lawyer and tells him to bring along the only copy of the Process. Joe soon learns that Jimmy's sister does not exist, and realizes Jimmy is a con artist attempting to steal the Process. Joe contacts Pat McCune, a woman he met on the island who Susan told him was an FBI agent, and whose business card Susan had kept. McCune’s FBI squad enlists him in a sting operation to catch Jimmy. While fitting Joe with a wire for his planned meeting with Jimmy, an FBI agent explains the Spanish Prisoner con, a version of which Jimmy has been running on Joe. When Jimmy never shows up for the meeting, Joe realizes McCune is actually part of Jimmy's con game, and that the Process has just been stolen. Joe attempts to explain what happened to his employer and the police but finds that Jimmy has made it appear that he has sold his Process to the Japanese. The Swiss bank account that Jimmy opened for him makes it look as though he is hiding assets, and the certificate he signed to join the club turns out to be a request for political asylum in Venezuela, which has no extradition treaty with the United States. The police show Joe that Jimmy's apartment is a façade and that the club's members-only room is a normal restaurant. Joe is also framed for the murder of the company lawyer, George Lang. On the run, Joe reconnects with Susan, who says she believes his story. Joe remembers that the hotel on the island maintains video surveillance, which could prove that Jimmy was there. Susan takes him to the airport so he can fly back to the island. Seeing a police roadblock on the way to the airport, she convinces him to drive to Boston. At the airport in Boston, Susan gives Joe a plane ticket, and a camera bag, which unbeknownst to him contains a gun. Before passing through security, he realizes that Jimmy left his fingerprints on the book Joe was to deliver. He leaves the airport with Susan, still not realizing she is working against him. They purchase ferry tickets to return home. While Susan leaves to call Klein to inform him about the book, Joe attempts to board the ferry with the plane ticket, only to realize the ticket is for Venezuela, and that he was being set up. On the ferry, Jimmy suddenly appears and Susan turns on Joe; the final step of the con will be Joe's death, made to appear as a suicide. Jimmy reveals what he has done with the Process, and turns his gun on Joe, but is tranquilized by US Marshals pretending to be Japanese tourists. They reveal that they have been following Jimmy for months and that Mr. Klein plotted the con to keep all the profits for himself. Susan asks Joe for mercy, but he nonchalantly tells her she must "spend some time in room", meaning prison.

In Ancient Egypt, the enslaved Hebrew people pray to God for deliverance. Pharaoh Seti, fearing that the growing numbers of Hebrews could lead to rebellion, orders a mass infanticide of all newborn Hebrew boys. Yocheved and her children, Miriam and Aaron, rush to the Nile River, where she places her newborn son in a basket on the water, bidding him farewell with a final lullaby. Miriam follows the basket as it floats to Seti's palace and witnesses her brother safely adopted by Seti's wife, Queen Tuya, who names him Moses. Before leaving, Miriam prays that Moses will return to free the Hebrews. Years later, Moses and his adoptive brother Rameses, heir to the throne of Egypt, are scolded by Seti for accidentally destroying a temple. After Moses suggests that Rameses be given the opportunity to prove his responsibility, Seti names Rameses prince regent. High priests Hotep and Huy offer Rameses a beautiful but rebellious young Midianite woman, Tzipporah. Moses humiliates Tzipporah by letting her fall into a pond after she refuses to submit, appeasing the crowd but disappointing Tuya. Rameses gives Tzipporah to Moses and appoints him Royal Chief Architect. Later that night, Moses follows Tzipporah as she escapes from the palace, choosing not to stop her. He runs into the now-adult Miriam and Aaron, whom he does not recognize. He disbelieves their claims and almost has them arrested until Miriam sings their mother's lullaby, triggering Moses's memory. He flees in denial, but learns the truth of Seti's genocide from a nightmare, then from Seti himself, who disturbs Moses by claiming the Hebrews were "only slaves". The next day, Moses tries to stop an Egyptian slave driver from flogging an elderly Hebrew slave, accidentally pushing the slave driver to his death. Horrified and ashamed, Moses flees into the desert in exile, despite Rameses's pleas that he stay. Arriving at an oasis, Moses defends three girls from brigands, only to realize their older sister is Tzipporah. Moses is welcomed by Jethro, Tzipporah's father and the high priest of Midian, who helps Moses gain a more positive outlook on life. Moses becomes a shepherd, falls in love with Tzipporah, marries her, and grows adjusted to life in Midian. Moses discovers a burning bush, through which God tells him to return to Egypt and free the Hebrews. God bestows Moses's shepherding staff with his power and promises that he will tell Moses what to say. When Moses tells Tzipporah of his task, she decides to join him. Arriving in Egypt, Moses is happily greeted by Rameses, who is now Pharaoh with a wife and son. Moses demands the Hebrews' release and transforms his staff into a snake to demonstrate God's power. Hotep and Huy deceptively recreate this transformation, only to have their snakes eaten by Moses's. Not wanting to have his actions cause the empire's collapse and feeling betrayed by Moses, Rameses denies Moses's demand and doubles the Hebrews' workload. The Hebrews, including Aaron, blame Moses for their increased workload, discouraging Moses, but Miriam inspires Moses to persevere. Moses casts the first of the Ten Plagues of Egypt by changing the waters of the Nile into blood, but Rameses remains unmoved. God inflicts eight more plagues onto Egypt: frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hailfire, locusts, and prolonged darkness, but still Rameses refuses to relent, vowing never to release the Hebrews. Disheartened, Moses prepares the Hebrews for the tenth plague, instructing them to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. That night, the final plague kills all the firstborn sons of Egypt, including Rameses's young son, while passing over the Hebrews' marked homes. Grief-stricken, Rameses permits the Hebrews to leave. After leaving the palace, Moses collapses in anguish and remorse. The following morning, Moses, Miriam, Aaron and Tzipporah lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Once at the Red Sea, a vengeful Rameses pursues them with his army, intent on killing them. However, a pillar of fire blocks the army's way, while Moses uses his staff to part the sea. The Hebrews cross the open sea bottom; the fire vanishes and the army gives chase, but the sea closes over and drowns the Egyptian soldiers, sparing Rameses alone. Moses mournfully bids Rameses farewell and leads the Hebrews to Mount Sinai, where he receives the Ten Commandments.

FBI Special Agent Anthony Hubbard and his Lebanese-American partner Frank Haddad intervene at the hijacking of a bus fully loaded with passengers, which contains an explosive device. The bomb turns out to be a paint bomb and the terrorists escape. The FBI receives demands to release Sheikh Ahmed Bin Talal, a suspect in an earlier bombing. Hubbard is confronted by Central Intelligence Agency operative Elise Kraft while taking a different suspect into custody and arrests her. Later, another terrorist threat is made and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus is suicide bombed, killing 25 people. The FBI captures Samir Nazhde, a man who admits to signing the visa application of one of the suicide bombers in the course of signing many applications for student visas in his job as a lecturer. Kraft insists that Samir, with whom she has a sexual relationship, is not a terrorist and that his continued freedom is vital to the investigation. Hubbard and his team track down and eliminate the terrorist cell and believe that the threat is over. However, the terrorist incidents escalate with the bombing of a crowded theater and a hostage situation at an elementary school, and culminate in the destruction of One Federal Plaza, the location of the FBI's New York City field office, causing more than 600 deaths. Over the objections of some of his advisors, the President of the United States declares martial law and the Army 's 101st Airborne Division, under Major General William Devereaux, occupies and seals off Brooklyn to locate the remaining terrorist cells. All young men of Arab descent, including Haddad's son Frank Jr., are rounded up and detained in Downing Stadium. Haddad resigns in outrage while New Yorkers stage violent demonstrations against the Army’s occupation and the profiling of Arabs. Hubbard and Kraft, now revealed to be intelligence operative Sharon Bridger, continue their investigation and capture a suspect, Tariq Husseini. Devereaux, who was surveilling Hubbard, tortures and kills Husseini in the course of the interrogation. Husseini reveals nothing of value because of the principle of compartmentalized information. Sickened, Bridger concedes that she provided training and support to militants opposed to Saddam Hussein ' s regime, working with Samir to recruit and train the followers of the Sheikh. After the cut of their funding and the group was left to be exposed, she took pity on the few of the victims who had not yet been slaughtered by Hussein's forces, and arranged for them to escape to the United States, ultimately leading to the present situation as they direct their bomb making and covert skills on the country that now holds their leader. The Sheikh was also apprehended by Devereaux without any consent from the U.S. government. She and Hubbard compel Samir to arrange a meeting with the final terrorist cell. Hubbard convinces Haddad to return to the FBI. A multi-ethnic peace march demonstrates against the occupation of Brooklyn. As the march begins, Hubbard and Haddad arrive at the meeting place, but Bridger and Samir have already departed. Samir reveals to Bridger that he is in fact the final bomber while also predicting that, "there will never be a last cell," as their terrorist acts are just a beginning. He straps a bomb to his body, intending to detonate it among the marchers. Hubbard and Haddad arrive in time to prevent him from leaving a bathhouse, but Samir shoots Bridger in the stomach as she struggles to stop him. Hubbard and Haddad kill Samir but can only watch as Bridger succumbs to her wound after reciting lines of the second half of the Lord's Prayer and concluding with " Inshallah ". Hubbard, Haddad, and their team raid Devereaux's headquarters to arrest him for the torture and murder of Husseini and the unauthorized detaining of the Sheikh. Devereaux insists that under the War Powers Resolution the authority vested in himself by the President supersedes that of the court which issued the arrest warrant. He then commands his soldiers to aim their assault rifles at the agents, resulting in a Mexican standoff. Hubbard reminds Devereaux that the civil liberties and human rights which he took from Husseini are what all of his predecessors have fought and died for. Devereaux finally submits and is arrested. Martial law ends and the detainees, including Haddad's son, are given their freedom.

A young and naive Englishman, John Truscott (Hugh Dancy), goes to the British protectorate of Sarawak, Borneo (described as a "colony" in the film), to try to apply his father's work to the Iban society. There he meets his boss Henry Bullard (Bob Hoskins) and his wife Aggie Bullard (Brenda Blethyn). John tries to civilize the area, building schools and providing education for the Iban people, and encounters unfamiliar local customs. A girl, Selima (Jessica Alba), becomes his "sleeping dictionary", who sleeps with him and teaches him the language and the habits of the locals. John is sent upriver where a sickness is affecting the Yakata tribe. He and Selima travel inland. John witnesses a nearby mining operation run by Europeans. He notices that the Yakata have rice – which has been given to them by the miners – and he guesses correctly that the miners have poisoned the rice in order to get rid of the Yakata. Knowing that they will exact vengeance, John tells the Yakata what has happened. The Yakata wipe out the miners. Despite their intent, John and Selima find themselves falling into a forbidden love. John is eager to marry Selima despite the longhouse not allowing it. When John tells Henry about his plans to marry her, they lock Selima up. Selima agrees to marry in the longhouse before they part ways. Bullard threatens to send John to trial for the death of the European miners. He makes a deal with John. John has to give up Selima, and go to Britain for a year's vacation and to meet the Bullards' daughter Cecilia (Emily Mortimer). Another local British official, Neville Shipperly (Noah Taylor), a boorish drunk and a man who despises the locals, is jealous of John because he had planned to win Cecilia as his own. A year later, John is seen marrying Cecilia. He still struggles to get over his past with his sleeping dictionary. With Cecilia, he decides the best thing to do is go back to Sarawak to continue his work there. In Sarawak, Cecilia notices John's desire for Selima despite constantly keeping his distance from her. Cecilia demands to know more about Selima; John replies that she is married to Belansai and that the couple have a baby together. While at the lake collecting rocks for research, John sees Selima with her baby. He believes the child to be his and asks Famous to arrange a meeting with the pair. Back at the house, Selima walks in, unaware that John is there. Here, John meets his son Mandar for the first time. When Belansai hears news that John is spending time with his wife, he sneaks in to try to kill John but only manages to hurt him with a razor. The next morning, Henry reveals to John his past about his own 'sleeping dictionary', which resulted in the birth of another child: Selima. Belansai is caught and sentenced to be hanged for trying to kill an officer. Selima is not happy, as Belansai has been a good father to Mandar. Not wanting his friend Belansai to die, John nevertheless goes through with announcing Belansai's hanging, having no other option. Later that night, Selima goes to help Belansai escape, not knowing that John is already there, breaking Belansai out and handing him a gun. As Belansai hurries off, John turns to Selima, asking to meet him at the dock so they can escape on the boat. When Selima expresses fear that he will be caught, he says "Then I'll tell them I'd rather have you than a country... or a language... or a history". They embrace as the rain is pouring behind them. The next day, since the people of the Longhouse have turned on Selima, she is forced to become the sleeping dictionary for Neville. Later Cecilia announces she is pregnant, shocking John. That night, Selima bashes Neville on the head, knocking him out, because he has attempted to attack her and force her. She grabs the baby and runs from the house, heading for the docks. John still has plans to be with Selima and their son, and, as he begins writing a note, is stopped by Cecilia. The couple then talk about John's love for Selima and how Cecilia wants John to be happy. Aggie is not happy that Cecilia and Henry have allowed both John and Selima to run away together because she never left Henry's sight, fearing he'd go with his sleeping dictionary. She encourages Neville to go after them. With the help of Famous and the Yakata, John searches for Selima as she's left believing that John didn't come to the place of arrangement. They reunite as Neville comes through with a gun. He tells them to cuff themselves around the bamboos and tells them of his plans to kill John, Selima and their baby. They're then rescued by the Yakata, who kill Neville. At the end, they decide to live together and migrate with the Yakata.

Gabriel Yulaw, once an agent of the MultiVerse Authority (MVA) which polices interdimensional travel, seeks to hunt down 124 variants of himself across parallel universes. By killing his other selves and absorbing their life energies, Yulaw believes that he will become a super-powered, godlike being called "The One". After killing Lawless, a convict and the 123rd variant in the Anubis Universe, Yulaw is captured by MVA agents Roedecker and Funsch and taken back to the MVA headquarters in the Alpha Universe. He is sentenced to life in the Hades Universe's Stygian penal colony, but Yulaw manages to escape with the help of an accomplice and teleports to the Charis Universe. The last known variant, Gabe Law, is a deputy sheriff working of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department within the Charis Universe. For two years, Gabe has been experiencing increases in strength, speed, and mental ability, but neither he nor his wife T.K. can understand why. While transporting a prisoner, Gabe "feels" Yulaw's presence in time to avoid being shot. Gabe sustains an injury after falling from a wall which Yulaw scales with ease. Roedecker and Funsch arrive in time to stop Yulaw from finishing him off. Although unfamiliar with interdimensional travel, Gabe realizes that Yulaw is identical to him in every way. Roedecker and Funsch track Yulaw to the hospital where Gabe is being examined. Yulaw deters them from shooting him because if he is killed, Gabe would then be left as the One. Dressed alike and identical to each other, Gabe and Yulaw's battle confuses the other police officers. Both Gabe and Yulaw manage to escape the hospital. The MVA agents deviate from their orders and split up. Roedecker pursues and fights Yulaw but is killed when the latter breaks his neck, disabling a bomb Roedecker intended to use to finish both of them off. Funsch catches up with Gabe and explains to him that there are multiple universes with wormholes briefly connecting them at uncontrollable times. Meanwhile, Yulaw sneaks into Gabe's residence where T.K., believing him to be Gabe, agrees to hide him from the police. She realizes that Yulaw is deceiving her but not in time to avoid being captured. Gabe arrives, only to watch helplessly as Yulaw kills T.K. Funsch finds a guilt-ridden Gabe and both team up to find Yulaw at the next wormhole. Gabe and Funsch arrive at an industrial plant, where they encounter and fight Yulaw. Funsch is easily defeated but Gabe and Yulaw are more evenly matched. Gabe manages to gain the upper hand but only seconds before the wormhole arrives. All three of them are sucked into it and collapse on the floor of the MVA headquarters. Yulaw is transported immediately to the Hades Universe after a failed attempt to switch places with Gabe. The MVA then prepares to send Gabe back to his own universe, where he will take the fall for Yulaw's crimes. Recalling an earlier conversation with Gabe, Funsch compassionately sends him to a different universe in which Gabe can have a normal life again from when he first met T.K. Now imprisoned in the Hades Universe, Yulaw declares that he will still become the One and then proceeds to battle several of the penal colony's inmates on top of a ziggurat.

Alex Bernier is a disillusioned priest and a member of the fictional Carolingian Order– an ancient sect that specializes in exorcisms and combatting demonic forces. The narrative begins with the mysterious death of Father Dominic– the head of the Carolingians, in Rome. Alex is dispatched by Cardinal Driscoll– a prominent Vatican official and papal candidate, to investigate the circumstances surrounding Dominic's demise. Before his departure, Alex is approached by Mara Williams– an artist who he previously attempted to exorcise. Mara reveals that she senses impending danger for Alex. It is disclosed that during the exorcism, Mara attempted to kill Alex, and was subsequently imprisoned in a mental institution. Despite that history between them, Alex permits Mara to accompany him to Rome after she assures him that she poses no threat. In Rome, Alex examines Dominic's corpse, and observes unusual markings, which he identifies as the work of a sin-eater– a figure that is capable of absolving sins outside of the Church's authority. Seeking assistance, Alex contacts his friend and fellow Carolingian priest, Thomas Garrett. The Vatican denies the existence of sin-eaters, and refuses to give Dominic a burial on consecrated ground, due to alleged excommunication. Defying orders, Alex conducts a clandestine funeral service for Dominic in the Carolingian cemetery. Cardinal Driscoll arrives in Rome, and presents Alex with an ancient dagger and a fragmentary parchment that contains an Aramaic incantation. Believing these to be tools to eliminate the sin-eater, Alex and Thomas pursue further information. Their search leads them to a clandestine figure known as the Black Pope, who operates an underground sect. The Black Pope instructs Alex to seek answers from dying people, and he orchestrated a scenario in which three men are hanged. One of the dying men provides a riddle that guides Alex to a meeting with the sin-eater. During their escape from the Black Pope's domain, Thomas is injured by demonic entities, and Alex brings him to a hospital. Alex then encounters the sin-eater, William Eden, at St. Peter's Basilica. Eden, weary after centuries of service, expresses a desire for Alex to succeed him. Intrigued but conflicted, Alex assists Eden in a sin-eating ritual but ultimately declines the offer, deciding to leave the priesthood to pursue a relationship with Mara. Unbeknownst to Alex, Eden visits Mara and inflicts fatal wounds, making it appear as a suicide attempt. Discovering her near death and beyond medical help, Alex performs the sin-eating ritual to ensure her passage to heaven. Realizing that Mara did not kill herself, Alex deduces Eden's manipulation, and resolves to confront him. Meanwhile, Thomas uncovers that the Black Pope is actually Cardinal Driscoll. Driscoll reveals the complete parchment, which outlines the true purpose of the dagger and incantation, which is not to kill the sin-eater, but to transfer his powers to a successor. Driscoll prevents Thomas from warning Alex of this revelation. Alex confronts Eden and, following the supposed instructions to eliminate him, stabs Eden with the dagger while reciting the incantation. Eden dies, and the sin-eating powers are inadvertently transferred to Alex. Thomas arrives too late to prevent the transfer, and informs Alex of Driscoll's deceit. It becomes apparent that Dominic, Eden, and Driscoll orchestrated events to manipulate Alex into becoming the new sin-eater: Eden sought release from his burden; Driscoll desired the papacy; and Dominic aimed to access forbidden knowledge. Alex exposes Driscoll's machinations to the Church, leading to the Cardinal's downfall. Facing ruin, Driscoll attempts suicide, and summons Alex to absolve his sins. Instead, Alex forces Driscoll to confront his own corruption, refusing to perform the ritual. Embracing his new role, Alex decides to use his abilities as a force for good, by offering salvation to people who he deems worthy, and denying it to people who are unrepentant.