Treasure hunter, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) continues his family's obsession with finding the treasure of the Knights Templar. Their treasure is hidden somewhere in the united states, by the country's founding fathers. Gates has to decipher clues left by the founding fathers which have been left on the very symbols of the country. The various clues lead him the the Declaration of Independence, on which the most important clue is hidden. Gates has to devise a plan to steal the Declaration before it falls into the wrong hands.