Elizabeth and Will Arrested
At the end of the first film, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and Commodore James Norrington save Jack Sparrow from being executed for his crimes against the Dutch East India Trading Company. At the start of this film Lord Beckett, president of the East India Company presents warrants of arrest to Elizabeth and Will for helping Jack escape. Beckett also has a warrant to arrest James Norrington, but Elizabeth’s father proclaims Norrington resigned his post and ran away months ago; no one knows where he is.
Elizabeth Swann in the pouring rain, crying on her wedding day
Lord Beckett comes to arrest Will and Elizabeth for aiding Jack Sparrow. He tries to arrest James Norrington as well but is informed that Norrington has long since resigned his post and run away.
Jack and the Key
Jack escapes from prison by pretending to be dead. The workers lay him in a coffin and throw it out to sea. Jack’s crew comes to rescue him but complain as they’ve been sailing for months encountering monsters and storms without finding any treasure. To calm down his crew Jack shows them what he’s recovered from the prison he just escaped from; a drawing of a key. Although he doesn’t tell his crew, this drawing is an image of the key that unlocks the chest where Davy Jones keeps his heart. The crew asks Jack where they should sail to and Jack doesn’t know. Normally his compass shows him the way because it points towards the thing the user wants most, Jack is unable to decide what he wants most, causing his compass to spin in circles.
Jack shows his crew a drawing of the key that unlocks the chest containing the heart of Davy Jones. Whoever can unlock this chest can kill Davy Jones or control him through blackmail.
Beckett wants Will to Steal Jack's Magic Compass
Beckett brings Turner to his office to strike a deal. Jack Sparrow’s compass allows the user to seek the thing they most desire. Beckett’s greatest desire is to find the chest with the heart of Davy Jones. With the chest he has leverage to command Jones to do his bidding, and with Jones under his control Beckett will have control over all the entire ocean. If Turner finds Jack and brings back the compass to give to Beckett, Beckett will absolve both Swann and Turner from their crimes and grant them freedom. In exchange, he will also pardon Jack by hiring him as a privateer for the royal navy.
"Somehow I doubt Jack will consider employment the same as being free." Will Turner
Lord Beckett asks Will to steal Jack's compass and bring it to him; Once Will delivers the compass to Beckett, he will wipe away their sentences and free them from their crimes.
Time For Jack to Repay His Debt to Davy Jones - Bootstrap Bill
Back on board the Black Pearl, Jack’s compass is spinning all over the place because he has no idea what he most desires; he’s struggling to figure out what he truly wants. Upon venturing below deck for some rum to clear his mind, Jack encounters Bootstrap Bill Turner, Will Turner’s father. Bootstrap tells Jack that the time has come to return payment for a favor Jone’s did 13 years ago by giving control of the Black Pearl over to Jack. Knowing that Jones’ is after him, Jack feverishly instructs his crew to make land as soon as possible, as he knows Davy Jones cannot step foot on land but once every 10 years.
The compass Jack has that points to what he most truly desires is spinning all over the place becuase he does not know what he wants?
When Jack ventures below deck on his ship, he encounters Boostrap Bill, Will Turner's father. Bootstrap tells Jack that Davy Jones is hunting him down becuase it is time for Jack to repay debt for a major favor he asked for 13 years ago.
Will Searches For Jack
Meanwhile, Will travels to ports all over the ocean talking to anyone who knows Jack. Eventually he finds someone who knows where the island the Black Pearl has crash landed on and offers to take Will to see it. On the island Will finds Jack and his crew held hostage by native warriors. They all escape by running for their lives as they are pursued by the natives trying to kill them.
Will is trying to talk to anyone so he can find Jack.
Jack and his crew are running away from Native Warriors trying to kill all of them.
Calypso reveals the secrets about Davy Jones
Back on board with jack and Will, Jack orders his crew to stay close to shore in fear so that they can get to land quickly if in danger since Davy Jones cannot follow them there. Will wants to get back to Port Royal immediately to return the compass and live happily with Elizabeth. Jack makes a promise, if Turner will help Jack get the key, Jack will let Turner have the compass.
When Jack and his crew meet with Calypso, Calypso tells them that Jones’ was so heartbroken by Calypso’s betrayal, he cut out his heart and locked it in a chest that this key unlocks. The only way to kill Davy Jones’ is to find the chest, unlock it and stab the heart. Calypso gives Jack the jar of dirt.
Calypso tells Jack what is inside the chest, what the key unlocks and how to find it. She also gives jack a jar of dirt, an item that will be useful later.
Elizabeth Escapes
Elizabeth’s father tries to smuggle her daughter to safety. The father is caught red-handed, but Elizabeth escapes and intercepts Beckett in Elizabeth’s home. Beckett explains that he has sent Will to go find Jack’s compass. Elizabeth thinks it only points to the cursed treasure from the first movie, but it in fact points to what the person holding the compass most desires.
In an effort to find Will and Jack, Elizabeth stows away on a merchant ship dressed as a man.
Swann and Beckett have a conversation as Swann runs away.
Jack and Gibbs go to Tortuga to get 100 Souls to Sacrifice to Davy Jones
Will goes aboard the Davy Jones’ ship, the Flying Dutchman. Jones tells Will, to settle Jack’s debt, Jack has 3 days to bring Jones’ 100 souls to join the Dutchman’s crew or else Jack will have to serve out his original punishment of working 100 years as a crew member on board Davy Jone’s ship. Jones’ keeps Will on board as soul #1 until Jack gets the other 99. Jack and his first mate Gibbs go to Tortuga, a place home to outcasts, failures, and people who have ruined their lives. They hope to recruit 100 of these miserable people with nothing to live for, to hand over to Davy Jones.
Jack and Gibbs go to Tortuga to get 100 people with nothing to live for that they can sacrafice to DAvy Jones to pay off Jack's debt.
Jack, Elizabeth and James Norrington Re-unite in Tortuga
Here in Tortuga they find James Norrington, the one Beckett had a warrant to arrest at the start of the movie. Because he helped Jack escape at the end of movie 1, he is now living Tortuga as a total disgrace, his life is ruined. Elizabeht also shows up after the merchant ship she was hiding on finally arrives in Tortuga. After a bar fight, Elizabeth takes pity on Norrington as Norrington confessed his love to her in the first film.
Liar's Dice and Stealing The Key
Back on board the dutchman, will is sentenced to lashings as punishment for not completing his work. Wills’ dad offers to take the punishment in his place. Instead, the dutchman makes Wills father dole out the punishment against his son.
Jack tells Elizabeth that Will is on board the Flying Dutchman. Because Elizabeth is sure that her greatest desire is to be reunited with Will and Jack convinces Elizabeth that the way to find Will is to find the chest of Davy Jones. Upon having her hold the compass, it points in a straight, un-changing direction and the crew sets sail.
Back on board the Dutchman, Will plays a game of Liar’s Dice in a wager to get the key from Jones’. Will loses the bet, but his father Bootstrap joins the game and loses on purpose to save Will. Will and Bootstrap sneak into the captain’s quarters while Jones’ is sleeping to steal the key and let Will escape.
The Liar's Dice Scene
The Kraken, Norrington's Plans and Will Survives
Elizabeth shares Lord Beckett’s plans with Jack and Gibbs. James Norrington overhears their conversation and realizes if he can return the compass, or the chest with the heart to Beckett, he can be re-instated as a privateer for the Royal Navy and pardoned as a free man. Will gets off the Dutchman and finds shelter on the ship Elizabeth rode earlier. The ship is destroyed by the Kraken, a monster that Jones’ unleashes, but Will escapes.
Davy Jone's commands his kraken to attack and destroy the ship Will is on; this is the same ship Elizabeth was on earlier in the film. The ship is destroyed but Will escapes.
Finding the Chest and Unlocking It
Elizabeth uses the compass to help Jack and his crew find the chest on a deserted island. Upon digging it up they unlock a large chest only to find a smaller one inside, surrounded by love letters to Calypso.
Now on the island, Jack, Will and Norrington find themselves trapped in an epic montage. Jack wants the heart of Davy Jones’ to use as leverage, saving himself against his debt and therefore punishment of serving as a crew member on the Dutchman. Turner wants to take the chest to free his father, along with himself and Elizabeth. Norrington wants to take the chest to Lord Beckett to regain his honor, become free and regain the life he lost.
Jack unlocks the chest with Davy Jone's heart in it. Inside he finds the heart along with love letters to Calypso.
Will, Jack and Norrington all begin to fight over the chest as they want it for themselves. Jack wants it to settle his debt with Davy Jones. Norrington wants to give it to Lord Beckett to get his life back. Will wants to give it to Beckett so he and Elizabeth can be free.
A major fight takes place inside a giant wooden hamster wheel.
The Wheel Fight and The Jar of Dirt
After getting separated from Will and Norrington, Jack unlocks the chest, takes out the heart and shoves it in the jar of dirt he got from Calypso before locking the chest back up. Everyone else besides Jack thinks the heart is still inside the chest. Everyone reunites by the rowboats as they are all pursued by the Flying Dutchman’s crew members. Norrington takes the chest and runs back onto the island with the Dutchman’s sailors in pursuit, to divert the Dutchman’s crew away from Elizabeth, and everyone else.
The climax to the fight between everyone on this island.
Norrington runs into the jungle with the chest to save everyone else. Really, he's trying to take the chest for himself and give it to Beckett.
Jack brags to Davy Jones about how he has the heart inside his jar of dirt.
The Final Kraken Attack
After everyone is back on board the Black Pearl, Davy Jones sends the Kraken to sink The Pearl. A big fight scene ensues to stave off the Kraken attack. In the end, Jack has everyone else abandon ship while he stays on board, sacrificing himself so only he will die to the Kraken, while sparing his crew.
The kraken destroys the ship along with Jack while the rest of his crew watches in sadness as the Pearl and Jack sink beneath the waves.