Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) assembles his troops to fend off an invading Persian army led by the immortal Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and the vindictive Persian navy commander Artemisia (Eva Green) in this sequel to 300 based on the graphic novel XERSES by Frank Miller. In the wake of the Persians' victory over King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, the God King Xerxes (Santoro) appears poised to conquer Greece. As the ruthless Artemisia (Eva Green) assembles a massive fleet of ships and sets sail for conquest, Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) strives to rally his countrymen to fight for freedom, and he manages to gain the upper hand over the invaders by confronting them at sea. Meanwhile, Leonidas' former advisor and wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) is reluctant to sacrifice any more Spartans in a fight that appears to be unwinnable. When the Greeks enjoy an early victory over Artemisia and her soldiers, however, it appears that Themistokles' unconventional tactics are more effective than the Persian Empire's formidable brawn. But later, after Artemisia's attempt to seduce Themistokles to her side proves unsuccessful, the spurned naval commander deals a devastating blow to her Greek opponents. In the aftermath of that skirmish, Themistokles is presumed dead and Athens falls. The Persian Empire seems on the verge of victory, though when Xerxes and Artemisia learn that Themistokles lives, they realize the fight won't be over until he takes his final breath.