In a futuristic city sharply divided by economic class, the wealthy elite live a life of luxury and leisure in towering skyscrapers above ground, while the oppressed working class toils in harsh conditions below the surface to sustain the city's power and opulence. Joh Fredersen is the city's mastermind, orchestrating this strict segregation from his high office in the Tower of Babel. His son, Freder, lives a carefree existence among the rich until he has a chance encounter with Maria, a compassionate worker from the depths who is caring for a group of workers' children. Struck by her beauty and the stark contrast of the workers' plight, Freder is compelled to investigate the world beneath the towers.

Venturing into the depths, Freder is horrified by the exploitation of labor he witnesses and the monstrous machinery that the workers must operate. He observes a catastrophic industrial accident and experiences a transformative vision of the machines as Moloch, a ravenous deity demanding human sacrifices. Maria preaches to the workers about the importance of peace and the coming of a mediator who can unite the two strata of society. Unbeknownst to them, Freder's father takes a malicious interest in Maria and her influence over the workers. He commissions the inventor Rotwang to spy on her, which sets off a chain of events that will shake the very foundations of their divided society.