In 1927, as the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) begins the transfer of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald](/actor/johnny-depp) to Europe for trial, he manages to escape. A few months later in London, Newt Scamander seeks to have his international travel ban lifted at the Ministry of Magic. During his visit, he unexpectedly encounters Leta Lestrange, the fiancée of his brother Theseus Scamander and a former classmate from Hogwarts. The Ministry agrees to lift Newt’s ban on the condition that he helps locate Credence Barebone, who is currently in Paris. Reluctant to work alongside the ruthless bounty hunter Gunnar Grimmson, Newt hesitates to take on the mission. Additionally, Albus Dumbledore, who had intentionally guided Newt to New York, requests that he find Credence, suspecting that Credence is in fact the long-lost half-brother of Leta, named Corvus Lestrange V.

While Newt is half-heartedly considering the task, he is visited by his friends from America, Queenie Goldstein](/actor/alison-sudol) and Jacob Kowalski, the latter of whom has recovered his memories after they had been previously erased. Queenie learns that her sister, [ina Goldstein, believes that Newt and Leta are engaged, prompting her to pursue another relationship. Realizing Queenie enchanted Jacob to manipulate him into a relationship — given the prohibition against marriages between wizards and non-magical individuals — he lifts the enchantment, only for Jacob to decline marriage, anxious about the repercussions for Queenie. Heartbroken, she departs in search of Tina, who is on the hunt for Credence in Paris. Newt and Jacob subsequently follow her, utilizing a magical form of transportation to circumvent Newt’s travel restrictions.

Upon arriving in Paris, Credence escapes the grips of the Circus Arcanus, alongside the captive performer Nagini, a woman afflicted with a curse causing her to permanently morph into a snake. In their quest to find Credence’s birth mother, they track down Irma Dugard, a half-elf who facilitated his adoption in America. Tragically, Grimmson, a secret follower of Grindelwald, eliminates Irma before she can disclose vital information about Credence’s origins. Meanwhile, Tina encounters Yusuf Kama, who is also in pursuit of Credence. Just as Newt and Jacob locate Tina, they become captives of Yusuf, who divulges that he has sworn an Unbreakable Vow to kill Credence, believing him to be the brother he seeks.

Amidst this turmoil, a distressed Queenie falls into the clutches of Grindelwald. Aware of her abilities, he allows her the freedom to leave but cunningly manipulates her desire to marry Jacob to win her loyalty. In a race against time, Newt and Tina escape Yusuf’s grasp and enter the French Ministry of Magic, hoping to find incriminating documents about Credence’s identity. While there, Leta and Theseus confront them, and Newt clears the air regarding his supposed engagement with Leta.

The tension escalates as they discover the Lestrange family tomb, where Yusuf confronts Credence and Nagini. He unveils his motivations grounded in a deep family vendetta: his mother, Laurena, was ensnared by Corvus Lestrange IV through the Imperius Curse, leading to her tragic death during childbirth—the same fate that victimized Leta. It comes to light that Leta, in a desperate moment aboard a ship bound for America, inadvertently switched her baby brother with another infant, leading to Corvus V’s drowning in the ocean.

As the chaos unfolds, a rally convenes for Grindelwald’s followers. Jacob, still searching for Queenie among the crowd, witnesses Grindelwald unleash a vision foretelling a catastrophic global conflict while rallying his followers to propagate his doctrine across Europe. Thrusting a ring of blue fire that only his loyal followers can maneuver through, he incites a withdrawal from the encircling Aurors. Queenie and Credence, driven by their allegiance to Grindelwald, traverse the flames alongside Leta, who heroically sacrifices herself to enable the escape of others. At this juncture, Newt resolves to retaliate against Grindelwald.

Back at Hogwarts, Newt presents Dumbledore with a vial that his niffler pilfered from Grindelwald. This vial contains a blood pact forged in their youth, which poses a barrier to dueling each other, but Dumbledore speculates that it may be destroyed. Meanwhile, at Nurmengard Castle, Grindelwald bestows a wand upon Credence, alongside a phoenix, revealing a shocking potential truth about Credence’s identity: Aurelius Dumbledore.