In the year 1818, young Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker](/actor/benjamin-walker)) lives a humble life with his parents, Nancy and Thomas, who are employed at a plantation belonging to the cruel Jack Barts (Marton Csokas). They face a tragic turn of events when Lincoln intervenes to help a young African American boy, William Johnson (Anthony Mackie), who is being brutally mistreated. As a consequence of this act, Thomas is dismissed from his job. Later that night, Lincoln witnesses a horrifying scene: Barts invades their home, leading to Nancy's untimely death due to poisoning, orchestrated by Barts himself.
Fast forward nine years, a vengeful Lincoln seeks retribution against Barts at the docks but is overpowered by him, only to be rescued at the last moment by Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper). Sturgess reveals the existence of vampires and offers to train Lincoln in the art of vampire hunting. Eager for revenge, Lincoln commits himself to a decade of rigorous training. During this time, Sturgess informs Lincoln about the vampire lineage in America, tracing it back to Adam (Rufus Sewell), a vampire plantation owner in New Orleans, as well as the vampires' vulnerability to silver, symbolized by a silver pocket watch gifted to Lincoln.
Upon arriving in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln befriends shopkeeper Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson) and meets the enchanting Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Despite Sturgess' warnings against forming close ties, Lincoln finds himself falling for Mary. His quest for vengeance leads him to confront and ultimately defeat Barts, who, in a shocking twist, discloses that Sturgess is a vampire too. Sturgess reveals the tragic fate of his wife, bitten by Adam, which made him a vampire while leaving him unable to harm others of his kind, as "Only the living can kill the dead."
Disillusioned by the revelation, Lincoln considers halting his pursuit of justice. However, Adam has other plans; he kidnaps Johnson to ensnare Lincoln into a trap at his plantation. After a harrowing experience, Lincoln is captured but manages to escape with the aid of Speed. Determined, Lincoln marries Mary and embarks on a political career focused on abolishing slavery, despite Sturgess' caution that vampire forces leverage the slave trade for control.
With Lincoln's election as the President of the United States, he and Mary move to the White House, welcoming their son, William Wallace Lincoln. Tragedy strikes again when William is bitten by Adam's sister, Vadoma, leading to his death. The conflict escalates as Adam, spurred on by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, unleashes his vampires. In response, Lincoln orders the melting of silverware to forge silver weapons.
As tensions rise, Adam and Vadoma ambush Lincoln, Sturgess, and Johnson during a train transport. However, a shocking betrayal by Speed turns into a clever ruse, leading Adam into a trap. After a fierce struggle, Lincoln delivers a fateful blow with his silver watch, killing Adam and escaping the ensuing chaos. Meanwhile, Mary and the former slaves successfully navigate the Underground Railroad to transport silver to Gettysburg, where Mary ultimately confronts Vadoma.
With the Confederate vampires in disarray, the Union army mounts an overwhelming offensive, armed with their silver weaponry, culminating in a decisive victory and the end of the war.
Almost two years later, on April 14, 1865, Sturgess informs Lincoln that the remaining vampires have fled. Although Sturgess proposes to turn Lincoln into a vampire for immortality, Lincoln declines, opting instead to attend a theater with Mary, foreshadowing his imminent assassination by John Wilkes Booth.
In a haunting modern-day echo, Sturgess finds a new target at a bar in Washington, D.C., reminiscent of his past approach to Lincoln.
