Don Diego de la Vega (Hopkins) recruits Alejandro Murieta (Banderas) to become his replacement as Zorro, the legendary hero. Together, they infiltrate the circle of Don Raphael - the fiercest of the Spanish tyrants. Armed with his mask, sword, whip and jet-black stallion, Tornado, the new Zorro embarks on a mission to stop Don Raphaels plot to buy California, set right twenty years of wrongs, bring justice to the people ensnared by Spanish greed, and win the heart of Elma - Don Diegos daughter.