Set in the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, Lord Marke of Cornwall plans to unite the tribes of Britain – Celts, Picts, Angles, Saxons and Jutes – against Irish domination.

The Irish king, Donachadh, orders an attack on the castle while his wife’s funeral is underway and the treaty negotiations are in progress.

Tristan clashes with Edyth's son, Merlot, but quickly wins the favor of Simon and other boys.

One day, Tristan, Merlot, and Simon uncover an ancient Roman passage connecting the bridge to the Cornish castle’s keep, and they pledge to keep its existence secret.

Tristan kills Morholt, the leader of the army, his father's killer, and the betrothed of Donachadh's daughter, Princess Isolde.

Tristan is severely wounded in the fight and believed dead, but he is only suffering the effects of Morholt's poisoned sword.

Put out to sea on a funeral boat, Tristan washes up on the shores of Ireland and is found by Isolde and her maid, Bragnae.

Donachadh schemes to weaken Britain by dividing the tribes, proposing a peace treaty that offers Isolde’s hand in marriage and valuable lands to the victor of a tournament.

Tristan of Aragon wins the tournament on behalf of Marke, unaware Donachadh's daughter is the woman he fell in love with.

Tristan pushes the boat carrying Isolde and Bragnae away from the shore and runs off to the ensuing battle.

Simultaneously, Melot, who has always been resentful of his uncle's long favoring of Tristan, shows Wictred the hidden Roman passage into the castle.

Tristan helps Marke's soldiers secure the castle, becoming mortally wounded in combat with Wictred, whom he still manages to kill.

The site's consensus states: "Competent but somewhat static, Tristan & Isolde doesn't achieve the sweeping romanticism that it aims for.

[7] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times writes, "there is something undeniably pleasant about an entertainment like Tristan & Isolde that delivers exactly what it promises, no less, no more."