Synopsis

Twelve years have passed since Paul "Muad'dib" Atreides became Emperor by vanquishing Shaddam IV and assuming rule of the planet Arrakis ("Dune"), home of Spice, the most valuable commodity in the universe. Since his ascension to the throne, his fervent followers have fought a brutal jihad in his name that has spanned the known universe. Paul recognizes that the revolution he inspired has become perverted, brutal and totalitarian. As ruler, he longs to enact change, but he must contend with his own deification, as well as the threats to his rule both internal and external.

Inside, the Priests, the bureaucrats and the fanatics of his theocracy will do anything to protect their own power and privilege. Outside, a cunning alliance of former enemies, including Princess Wensicia of the deposed House Corrino, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood and the Spacing Guild conspire against him in the hopes of regaining power.

Paul realizes the only way to rid the Empire of its corruption is for Maud'dib the god to cease to exist. He has visions of a son who will return peace to the universe by guiding man down the "Golden Path." During a failed assassination attempt on his life, Paul is blinded. After his beloved concubine Chani dies giving birth to twin heirs, Leto II and Ghanima, Paul wanders off into the desert, perhaps never to be seen again.

In Paul's absence, his sister, Alia, rules as Regent in the name of the children. Alia awoke to consciousness while still in the womb and suffers the curse of all of those who are "pre-born"; the memories of her ancestors float within her, waiting to be awakened. In an attempt to see the future, she begins taking large quantities of spice. However, the spice awakens memories and personalities within, including that of the evil Baron Harkonnen, her maternal grandfather, who vies for control of her mind. As she slips further into a possessed state, her only comfort comes from her husband, a clone of the trusted Atreides warrior, Duncan Idaho.

Paul's twin children, Leto and Ghanima, are also "pre-born." They are now 'of age' and Leto will soon take over the throne. Haunted by visions of a far off place, Leto slowly sees that he is destined to play a role far greater than Emperor.

Alia's increasingly erratic behavior and the resulting civil unrest on Arrakis is the talk of the empire. Old enemies of the Atreides see their rule as vulnerable. On planet Selusa Secundus, Princess Wensicia devises a plan to assassinate the royal heirs.

As Leto's investiture approaches, Lady Jessica returns to Arrakis from the Atreides home world, Caladan. Irrevocably strained relations between mother and daughter are further worsened when Jessica realizes what is happening to Alia: Abomination, defined by the Bene Gesserit as complete possession of a pre-born by an ancestral spirit. Jessica fears her grandchildren will suffer the same fate if left to Alia's care.

Meanwhile, a mysterious preacher blows into Arrakeen from the desert, proclaiming that the blessings of Muad'dib have been corrupted. His words provoke contempt among the masses. Civil war brews. Alia attempts to exploit this atmosphere of civil unrest by ordering her mother's assassination. The attempt fails. Meanwhile, the twins escape into the deep recesses of the desert, only to meet with blood-thirsty tigers bred by Princess Wensicia.

Surviving the tiger attack, Leto is put to the test in the desert. There he must silence the voices in his head if he is to guide humanity down the "Golden Path" or suffer the same fate as his aunt.

To protect herself from Alia, Jessica flees Arrakis and is forced to form an alliance with the Corrinos on Salusa Secundus. In exchange for sanctuary, Jessica teaches Princess Wensicia's son, Farad'n, the Bene Gesserit ways. Soon his commitment to his mother's conspiracy against the Atreides begins to wane. A proposal is then made that would unite House Corrino and House Atreides through the marriage of Ghanima and Farad'n. The hope is that this union will stabilize the Empire.

Once on Arrakis, Farad'n quickly offers up his mother as his wedding gift to Ghani. However, before they can say "I do", Leto emerges from the desert to dethrone Alia and put an end to the growing civil war. Ultimately, the fate of Arrakis - and humanity - is left with Leto. He has taken a path to demystify his father. He must sacrifice his own physicality and freedom, in order that mankind control its own destiny