In 1926, British wizard and
"magizoologist" Newton "Newt" Scamander arrives
in New York City. He observes Mary Lou Barebone, the non-magical
("No-Maj" or "Muggle") head of the New Salem Philanthropic
Society, preaching that witches and wizards are real and dangerous. Attempting
to recapture a Niffler that escaped from his suitcase of magical
creatures, Newt meets No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, an aspiring baker, and they
unwittingly swap suitcases. Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, a
demoted Auror of the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA),
arrests Newt for breaking magical law. Since the suitcase in his possession
only contains Jacob's baked goods, Newt is released. At home, Jacob opens
Newt's suitcase, inadvertently freeing several creatures into the city.
After Tina and Newt find Jacob
and the suitcase, Tina takes them to her apartment and introduces them to
Queenie, her Legilimens sister. Jacob and Queenie are mutually
attracted, though American wizards are forbidden to have any contact with
No-Majs. Newt takes Jacob inside his suitcase, magically expanded to house
various creatures including an Obscurial, a parasite that develops inside
magically gifted children when their abilities are suppressed; those afflicted
rarely live past the age of ten.
After they recapture two of the
three escaped beasts, Tina returns the suitcase to MACUSA, but they are
arrested, as officials believe one of Newt's creatures is responsible for
killing Senator Henry Shaw Jr., who was actually attacked by a
different Obscurial. The Director of Magical Security, Percival Graves, accuses
Newt of conspiring with the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald,
and decides to destroy Newt's suitcase and obliviate Jacob's recent
memories. Newt and Tina are sentenced to death. Queenie senses this, rescues
Jacob before his memory can be wiped, then helps Newt and Tina escape and
retrieve Newt's suitcase. A tip from Tina's goblin informant Gnarlack
leads the four to recapture the last of the escaped creatures.
Graves approaches Credence, Mary
Lou's adult adopted son, and offers to free him from his abusive mother in
exchange for helping to find the Obscurial causing destruction throughout the
city. Credence finds a wand under his adopted sister Modesty's bed,
which Mary Lou assumes is his; when Credence is about to be punished, the
Obscurial kills Mary Lou and her eldest daughter Chastity. Graves, assuming
Modesty is the Obscurus' host, dismisses Credence as a Squib and refuses
to teach him magic as he had promised. Credence reveals he is the real host,
having survived due to the intensity of his magic, and attacks the city in
broad daylight.
Newt finds Credence hiding in a
subway tunnel, but is attacked by Graves. Tina, who had tried to protect
Credence from Mary Lou (leading to her demotion), attempts to calm the boy,
while Graves tries to convince Credence to listen to him. As Credence returns
to human form, MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery and the Aurors counterattack,
shattering the Obscurial. However, unseen by anyone but Newt, a single wisp of
the creature flees the scene. Graves admits he had planned to unleash the
Obscurial to expose the magical community to the No-Majs and to frame Newt for
the incident. He claims MACUSA's laws openly protect No-Majs at the expense of
the magical community, and he no longer cares to live in hiding. Picquery
orders the Aurors to apprehend Graves, but he defeats them. Newt captures him
with the help of one of his beasts and reveals that Graves is Grindelwald in
disguise, although it is unknown if the real Graves is still alive or not.
MACUSA fears their secret world has been exposed, but Newt releases his Thunderbird to disperse a potion that obliviates recent memories over the city as rainfall, while MACUSA wizards repair the destruction and erase the recent events from the news. Queenie kisses Jacob goodbye as the rain erases his memories, and Newt returns to England. Jacob opens a bakery with pastries resembling Newt's beasts, and, when Queenie enters, he smiles at her.
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