Having established an ancient temple on the planet Earth, the alien Mondoshawan race return in 1914 with four mystic stones, representing the elements, and remove a casket containing the Fifth Element, known as the Supreme Being. In the 23rd century an alien sphere of pure evil threatens the Earth, and priest Cornelius (Ian Holm) prophesies that the Fifth Element is required to defeat it.

When an approaching Mondoshowan ship is destroyed, its remnants form into a female humanoid, Leeloo (Jovovich), who is aided by taxi driver Korben Dallas (Willis). Cornelius realizes that Leeloo is the Fifth Element, and he and Korben set out to reunite her with the other four elements to defeat the approaching great evil.