It opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Set in Poland during World War II. Innocent and naive 8-year-old Bruno is bored and restless in his new home. Ignoring his mother, he sets off on an adventure in the woods. He comes across a high fence which separates him from the people he can see through it. Soon he meets a young boy in striped pajamas, and a surprising friendship develops.

Shortly after being imprisoned by the Magical Congress of the USA, dark magician Gellert Grindelwald has broken free. As soon as he escapes, Grindelwald starts building a powerful army of wizards who want nothing short of the complete enslavement of the human race. To combat Grindelwald's efforts, Professor Albus Dumbledore calls on the wizard responsible for putting Grindelwald away in the first place: Newt Scamander. Throughout his journeys, Scamander...