An alternate vision of Britain is led by corrupt and abusive totalitarian government that has risen to complete power. During a threatening run in with the secret police, an unassuming young woman named Evey is rescued by a vigilante named V -- a caped figure both articulate and skilled in combat. V embodies the principles of rebellion from an authoritarian state, donning a mask of vilified would-be terrorist of British history Guy Fawkes and leading a revolution sparked by assassination and destruction. Evey becomes his unlikely ally, newly aware of the cruelty of her own society and her role in it.