The story is set in the near future, where monstrous creatures called Kaiju emerge from an interdimensional portal called "The Breach" located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. These creatures wreak havoc on coastal cities, consuming humanity’s resources and causing millions of casualties. To counter the Kaiju threat, humans develop massive human-piloted robots known as Jaegers. Each Jaeger requires two pilots whose minds are linked through a neural bridge. The film follows washed-up former pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and untrained trainee Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) as they team up to pilot an old Jaeger named Gipsy Danger in a desperate final stand against the Kaiju onslaught.