In the 1840s California Don Diego de la Vega returns from Spain to find that his father has been replaced as ruler of the region by the cruel Don Luis Quintero. Diego downplays his skills as a swordsman in front of the evil Captain Esteban and acts the clown in front of his family. However, Diego secretly picks up the sword of justice as the masked hero Zorro and fights to return justice to the region and his people.
