In 1985, a high school student, Marty McFly, leads a typical teenage life, dealing with family frustrations and a passion for skateboarding and rock music. Unexpectedly, Marty's life takes a turn for the extraordinary when he visits his eccentric scientist friend, Doc Brown, who has transformed a DeLorean car into a time machine. After a series of events involving local terrorists, Marty is transported back to 1955, unintentionally disrupting the space-time continuum.

Stranded in the past, Marty encounters younger versions of his parents and realizes his presence has altered their destiny, potentially erasing his own existence. To correct the timeline, he must engineer his parents' meeting and first kiss at the high school dance. All the while, Marty seeks the help of the 1955 Doc Brown, devising a plan to harness a bolt of lightning to power the DeLorean and return to the future.