The ocean's surface boils white-hot and a Japanese freighter mysteriously vanishes in the Pacific. Rescue boats meet the same fate, and the superstitious villages of Odo Island fear an ancient legend has come true: the legend of Godzilla! Reawakened from eons-long sleep by an H-bomb test, the behemoth seeks revenge on the civilized world, turning Tokyo into a wasteland of atomic fire and rubble. Caught in Godzilla's path of destruction are Emiko and Ogata, who must betray their friend Dr. Serizawa, in order to save the world.