A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until the day an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal--an act that turns her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king's successor; as a result she places a curse upon his newborn daughter Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom--and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well.