Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
The film begins with a remake of the post-credits scene of the original game. In a mountain pass, Red XIII and two of his pups run up the ridge and look on at the ruined remains of Midgar.
498 years ago....
Two years have passed since Meteor was driven back by the power of Holy.
Members of the Turks are attempting to retrieve Jenova's head from the wreckage of the Northern Cave, as ordered by still-living President Rufus Shinra, who survived the Diamond Weapon's attack on Midgar. As he listens in, the Turks are attacked by an unseen force, and although most of them make it back to an escape helicopter with the head, Elena and Tseng are abducted in the process.
The surviving residents of Midgar have set up a new metropolis, called Edge, elsewhere in the world. Tifa Lockhart is now running a delivery service while watching over Barrett's daughter, Marlene, and an orphan named Denzel. After finding out that Denzel has contracted "geostigma", a disease with no known cure, Tifa calls and leaves a message on Cloud Strife's phone.
Cloud receives the message as he travels through the Wasteland. He stops at a ridge overlooking the ruins of Midgar and reflects on how he couldn't save Zack Fair and Aerith. In the process, he reveals that he also has geostigma and is resigned to death. As Cloud heads back towards Edge, he is attacked by three teenagers on motorcycles, who identify themselves as the "Remnants of Sephiroth". Cloud barely manages to outrun them, while their leader, Kadaj, calls Rufus and tells him that they want their mother's head back so they can finish the "Reunion", which was thwarted by Cloud and the others two years earlier.
Cloud is summoned by the Turks to visit Rufus for more information. He finds the President at a lodge, confined to a wheelchair and presumably scarred from the near-fatal explosion that went off near him long ago. Rufus attempts to sway Cloud into helping Shinra deal with the Remnants, but the latter refuses and leaves.
Soon after, however, Kadaj breaks into the lodge and kidnaps Rufus. He explains to him that he and his brothers want to resurrect Sephiroth.
At the same time, Kadaj's brothers (Yazoo and Loz) head to Midgar and Edge to round up children infected with Geostigma. In Midgar, Loz attempts to kidnap Marlene but Tifa arrives and intervenes, although she is unsuccessful. Loz leaves with Marlene and Cloud's materia (which Tifa was holding), while Yazoo takes a large number of children by falsely claiming that he has a cure.
Cloud arrives back in Midgar and finds the unconscious Tifa, but collapses from his own infection. The Turks, who were following Cloud, arrive and rescue the duo before bringing them back to Edge. Once there, they tell the duo about what has happened to the children, and Tifa tells Cloud to break out of his negative behavior and help rescue the children.
Cloud heads back out and travels towards the Forgotten Capital. Enroute, he sees a vision of Aerith, who asks him why he can't let go of her death. When he arrives, he attempts to assault the Capital but is attacked by all three of the Remnants. When it looks like he'll be killed, Cloud is unexpectedly rescued by Vincent Valentine, who reveals that he had been spying on the Remnants' activities for some time.
Vincent reveals that Tseng and Elena are still alive, while Marlene sees the children being corrupted by drinking tainted water offered by the Remnants and runs away. Vincent convinces Cloud to move on from his past and embrace the future.
Yazoo and Loz come to believe that Rufus has Jenova's head under a monument at the center of Edge, and use the infected children as a barricade while they attempt to move it. The Turks, led by Reno and Rude, attempt to intervene, but are held back by a summoned Bahamut as the two brothers destroy the structure.
Finding nothing, the brothers retreat while Bahamut continues to wreak havoc. Cloud arrives back in the city, and the entire playable cast (including a bit of ghostly intervention by Aerith) band together to defeat the creature together.
Still in captivity in a high-rise building, Rufus reveals to Kadaj that he has been in possession of Jenova's head all along, and throws it out of the window while he escapes with the help of the Turks. Kadaj retrieves the box, but Cloud sees him and pursues him out of Edge and on the highway back to Midgar.
Kadaj attempts to seek shelter within the Sector 5 Church, but Cloud finds him and forces him to flee yet again. At the same, Cloud is seemingly healed of his Geostigma by Lifestream-infused water that pours down, seemingly granted by Aerith.
Cloud continues to chase Kadaj all the way to the top of the ruined Shinra Headquarters, and defeats him in one-on-one combat. However, Kadaj reveals that he will still complete the Reunion, and suddenly shoves Jenova's head into his own body.
Kadaj transforms into Sephiroth, who praises his new form and gloats at Cloud about his plans to rule the world. He tells Cloud that he intends to use everyone infected with Geostigma to corrupt the Lifestream and take over the planet, and a fight begins between the two SOLDIERs.
Although Sephiroth appears to have the upper hand and stabs Cloud through the shoulder, the latter summons all his inner strength and slays Sephiroth, causing his influence to dissipate and Kadaj's lifeless body to remain.
Suddenly, Yazoo and Loz appear again and shoot Cloud in the chest before self-destructing themselves. All three are caught in an explosion of Materia energy.
Cloud finds himself in the Lifestream, and is once again confronted by Aerith, now alongside Zack, who grant him the ability to return back to life. Cloud awakens back in the Sector 5 Church as a healing rain comes down from the sky that cures the Geostigma. He sees the now-cured children and the rest of the team standing around him, and promises himself that he'll live for the present instead of the past...
