The first law of alchemy is that "one cannot gain something without giving something of equal value in return" - a rule that two souls dare to cross. When Edward and Alphonse Elric try to revive their dead mother, breaking the taboo of human transmutation in process, Ed loses his right arm and left leg while Al loses his entire body. After the tragedy, an alchemist named Roy Mustang visits them and tells Edward to become a state alchemist to find a way to recover what they have lost. Accompanied by Al, whose soul is now attached to a metal suit of armor, Ed is fitted with auto-mail parts in place of his lost limbs and becomes a state alchemist by the name of "Full Metal Alchemist." Together, they set forth on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone - the one item that is rumored to have the power to restore them.