Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) of Sparta narrates the events leading to the Persian invasion of Greece, beginning with the Battle of Marathon. During the battle, the Athenian general Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) strikes a decisive blow by killing King Darius of Persia with an arrow. Darius’s death sends shockwaves through the Persian Empire. Darius’s son and heir, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), witnesses his father’s death and is advised by his father to avoid waging war against the Greeks. However, Artemisia (Eva Green), Darius’s naval commander and a trusted advisor, persuades Xerxes to avenge his father and take control of Greece.
Artemisia manipulates Xerxes into seeking divine power. She sends him on a perilous journey into the desert, where he discovers a mysterious cave and bathes in a strange, otherworldly liquid. Emerging transformed, Xerxes declares himself a “God-King” and returns to Persia with newfound resolve. With his divine status, Xerxes rallies his forces and declares war on Greece, initiating his campaign by moving his army toward Thermopylae.
Meanwhile, Themistocles works to unite the Greek city-states against the impending Persian threat. He meets with the Athenian council and convinces them to provide a fleet to challenge the Persians at sea. Recognizing the need for Spartan support, Themistocles travels to Sparta to seek an alliance. However, he finds King Leonidas absent, as he has left to consult the Oracle. Queen Gorgo remains wary of Athens and refuses to commit Spartan forces.
Themistocles reconnects with his friend Scyllias, a spy who has infiltrated the Persian forces. Scyllias informs him of Artemisia’s background: she was born Greek but turned against her homeland after her family was slaughtered by Greek soldiers. Raised as a warrior by a Persian emissary, she rose to prominence as a formidable naval commander under Xerxes. Scyllias also reveals that Leonidas and 300 Spartan warriors have already marched to confront Xerxes at Thermopylae.
Determined to defend Greece, Themistocles leads a fleet of 50 warships and thousands of men, including his trusted companions Scyllias, Scyllias’s son Calisto, and his lieutenant Aeschylus, to face the Persian navy in the Aegean Sea. The Battle of Artemisium begins with the Greek fleet ramming the Persian ships, causing chaos among the enemy. After a successful initial strike, Themistocles orders his fleet to retreat and regroup.
The next day, Themistocles uses a clever strategy to lure the Persian ships into a narrow crevice, where they become trapped. Greek soldiers positioned on the cliffs above launch a devastating attack, sinking many Persian ships. Artemisia, impressed by Themistocles’s tactics, invites him aboard her flagship. She attempts to seduce him and convince him to join the Persian side as her second-in-command, but Themistocles rejects her offer, remaining loyal to Greece.
Enraged by his refusal, Artemisia intensifies her assault. She deploys firebombs and tar-covered projectiles to destroy the Greek fleet. A massive explosion causes severe damage to both fleets, and Themistocles is thrown into the sea. Rescued by Aeschylus, Themistocles mourns the loss of Scyllias, who dies from his injuries. Artemisia, believing Themistocles to be dead, retreats to regroup her forces.
Themistocles recovers and learns that only a fraction of his fleet has survived. Soon after, Daxos, an Arcadian general, delivers the grim news that Leonidas and his 300 warriors have been betrayed by Ephialtes and slaughtered at Thermopylae. Themistocles returns to Athens, where he confronts Ephialtes. The disgraced Spartan, wracked with guilt, reveals Xerxes’s plans to destroy Athens and offers to die for his betrayal. Instead, Themistocles spares him, sending him to deliver a message to Xerxes: the Greeks are gathering their forces for a final stand at Salamis.
Themistocles travels once more to Sparta, where he pleads with Queen Gorgo to join the fight. Grieving the death of her husband, Leonidas, Gorgo initially refuses. Before departing, Themistocles urges her to honor Leonidas’s sacrifice and lead the Spartans in the coming battle.
As Xerxes’s army begins razing Athens, Artemisia learns from Ephialtes that Themistocles is still alive. Furious, she prepares her navy for the decisive Battle of Salamis. Meanwhile, Themistocles rallies his remaining forces, inspiring them to continue the fight.
The Greek fleet charges into the Persian navy, initiating a massive naval battle in the straits of Salamis. Themistocles and Artemisia engage in a fierce duel aboard her flagship. Despite her skill, the fight ends in a stalemate.
At the height of the battle, Gorgo arrives with the Spartan fleet, accompanied by reinforcements from various Greek city-states, including Arcadia, Thebes, and Olympia. The united Greek forces overwhelm the Persian navy, turning the tide of the battle. Watching from a cliff, Xerxes realizes his naval campaign has failed but chooses to retreat, continuing his march on land with the remnants of his army.
As the battle rages on, Artemisia launches a final attack on Themistocles, determined to kill him. However, Themistocles fatally wounds her with his sword. With her death, the Persian navy is left leaderless and falls into disarray.
As the Greek forces celebrate their victory, Themistocles and Queen Gorgo join together, leading their united army to confront Xerxes’s remaining forces. The battle ends with a triumphant Greek charge, setting the stage for future conflicts with Persia.
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