In the near future, an environmental cataclysm forces the human race to abandon Earth

and settle on a new world, Nova Prime.

One thousand years later, The Ranger Corps, a peacekeeping organization commanded
by General Cypher Raige (Will Smith), comes into conflict with the S'krell, alien
creatures who intended to conquer Nova Prime. Their secret weapons are the Ursas, large,
blind predatory creatures that hunt by "sensing" fear. The Rangers struggle against the
Ursas until Cypher learns how to completely suppress his fear, a technique called
"ghosting". After teaching this technique to the other Rangers, he leads the Ranger Corps
to victory. Meanwhile, Cypher's son Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) blames himself for the
death of his sister Senshi (Zo Kravitz) at the hands of an Ursa. Kitai trains to become a
Ranger like Cypher, but his application is rejected due to his recklessness, and Cypher
views him as a disappointment. Kitai's mother Faia (Sophie Okonedo) convinces Cypher
to take Kitai on his last voyage before retirement.

During flight, however, their spaceship is caught by an asteroid shower forcing them to
crash-land on the now-quarantined Earth. Both of Cypher's legs are broken, and the main
beacon for firing a distress signal is damaged. Cypher instructs Kitai to locate the tail
section of the ship, which broke off on entry to the atmosphere. Inside is the backup
beacon, which they can use to signal Nova Prime. Cypher gives Kitai his weapon, a wrist
communicator, and six capsules of a fluid that enhances the oxygen intake so he can
breathe in Earth's low-oxygen atmosphere. Cypher warns him to avoid the highly evolved
fauna and flora, and be careful of violent thermal shifts. Kitai leaves to find the tail
section, with Cypher guiding him through the communicator.

Kitai is attacked by giant baboons and, during his escape, is bitten by a poisonous leech.
Kitai administers the antidote, but two of his capsules are damaged, and his nervous
system shuts down. When Kitai awakens, he narrowly escapes a thermal shift. Kitai lies
to Cypher, not informing him of the damaged capsules. That night, Kitai listens to
Cypher tell him a story of when he was attacked by an Ursa, how he realized that fear is
merely an illusion created by the mind's thoughts of the future, and thus he first began to
"ghost" himself from the Ursas, choosing to live rather than to let his enemies, both fear
and the Ursas, decide his fate.

The following day, Kitai reaches a mountaintop, and Cypher learns about the broken
capsules. Knowing that the only way to make it with two capsules would be to skydive,
Cypher orders Kitai to abort the mission. Believing his father still sees him as a
disappointment, Kitai blames Senshi's death on Cypher's absence on the day of the attack.
He skydives from the mountaintop, but is captured by a giant condor, and his
communicator is damaged. Kitai wakes in a nest of the condor, where he is surrounded
by tigers attempting to get hold of the condor's chicks. Kitai and the condor fight the
tigers, and Kitai escapes. He reaches a river and builds a raft to continue along the river.
Tired, Kitai falls asleep on the raft. He dreams of his sister, Senshi, who reassures him
that Cypher's bitterness is just his own anger for not saving her. Senshi urges Kitai to
wake up and when he does, he is surprised by another thermal shift and nearly freezes to
death. Kitai is rescued by the condor, who sacrifices itself for him.
Kitai reaches the tail section and retrieves the emergency beacon along with another
communicator, weapon, and more oxygen capsules. The communicator only allows
Cypher to see and hear Kitai, but not for Kitai to hear him. Kitai learns that the ship's
Ursa escaped and killed the remnants of the crew. The emergency beacon does not
activate, and Cypher realizes that the atmosphere is blocking the signal. Kitai heads to a
nearby volcano from which he can fire the beacon, and is injured when the Ursa attacks
him. However, remembering Cypher's words, to focus on the moment rather than the
outcome, Kitai is able to control his fear and "ghost" himself from the Ursa enough to kill
it. He then fires the beacon. A rescue team arrives, and the two travel back to Nova Prime,
both agreeing that they would rather work with Faia.