Picking up directly where the previous installment, Fast & Furious, concluded, the story follows Dominic "Dom" Toretto (Vin Diesel), who finds himself being transported to Lompoc prison on a bus. However, his sister Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and friend Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) stage a daring rescue, leading to a dramatic crash and a successful escape. While law enforcement frantically searches for them, the trio makes their way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, seeking refuge.
In Rio, Mia and Brian join forces with their old acquaintance Vince (Matt Schulze) and a motley crew to execute a heist involving three cars from a train. Their excitement quickly turns to alarm when they discover that the train is transporting DEA agents and the cars are actually seized assets. When Dom finally arrives, tensions rise as he realizes that one crew member, Zizi (Michael Irby), only has eyes for a particular vehicle, a sleek Ford GT40. In a bold move, Dom instructs Mia to steal the car while he and Brian fend off Zizi and his henchmen, who resort to murder to cover their tracks.
Captured by crime lord Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), the mastermind behind the cars, Dom and Brian must think fast to avoid interrogation. Ultimately, they manage to break free and return to their safehouse, where tensions simmer as they scramble to examine the stolen car. Their discovery reveals a computer chip filled with crucial information about Reyes' vast criminal operation, including the whereabouts of an astonishing $100 million in cash.
In the wake of the murder of the DEA agents — a crime that inexplicably falls on Dom and his crew — U.S. DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) arrives in Rio on a mission to capture the fugitives. Assisted by local officer Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky), Hobbs locates the safehouse only to find it under siege from Reyes' thugs. In a narrow escape, Dom suggests that the group split up, but Mia’s shocking announcement of her pregnancy with Brian’s child changes everything. Dom decides they need to stick together and plans a heist to seize Reyes' fortune as a ticket to a fresh start.
Rallying a skilled team for the operation, they enlist familiar faces, including Dom’s old friend Han Lue (Sung Kang), Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Ludacris), and Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot), who was part of their previous escapades. As they prepare, Vince earns back Dom's trust by rescuing Mia from a dangerous predicament involving Reyes’ men.
Things come to a head when Hobbs and his team apprehend Dom, Mia, Brian, and Vince, only for their transport to become a battleground as Reyes' henchmen launch an ambush, resulting in chaos and violence. With their teamwork, Hobbs, Brian, and Dom manage to fend off their attackers. Fueled by vengeance for his fallen comrades, Hobbs teams up with the gang to execute the daring heist of Reyes' money.
The crew pulls off a spectacular heist by tearing the police vault from the station with their cars, leading to an adrenaline-fueled chase through the city streets. As they evade capture, Dom sacrifices his chance to escape by taking the lead in battling police and Reyes' forces, using the vault as a weapon. Ultimately, in a climactic showdown, Brian confronts Zizi, while Hobbs takes down Reyes.
With the heist complete, they divide the spoils, with Dom ensuring Vince's share goes to his family. In a fit of camaraderie and thrill, Brian and Mia, now noticeably expecting, find solace on a peaceful beach in the South Pacific, soon joined by Dom and Elena. Brian challenges Dom to a final race to settle who truly reigns as the superior driver.
In a tantalizing post-credits scene, Hobbs receives unsettling intel from Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) about a hijacked military convoy in Berlin, alongside a revelation about Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Dom's presumed-dead lover, suggesting a gripping new chapter awaits in their saga.
