The life of charismatic adventurer Captain Jack Sparrow, full of exciting adventures, changes dramatically when his nemesis Captain Barbossa kidnaps Jack's ship the Black Pearl, then attacks Port Royal and steals the governor's beautiful daughter Elizabeth Swann.
Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner, along with Jack, leads a rescue expedition on the fastest ship in Britain to rescue the girl and take the Black Pearl from the villain. The ambitious Commodore Norrington, who is also Elizabeth's fiancé, follows the pair.
However, Will does not know that Barbossa is under an eternal curse that turns him and his crew into living skeletons in the moonlight. The curse will only be lifted when the stolen Aztec gold is returned to its old location by the pirates.