In 1480, Prince Vlad wins a bloody battle against Ottoman invaders, but returns to find his wife Elisabeta killed by assassins. Furious that God did not protect her, Vlad slays the local cardinal, renounces heaven, and is cursed with eternal vampirism.
Four centuries later, Dracula operates from Transylvania while his vampire agent Maria operates in Paris. When solicitor Jonathan Harker arrives with real estate documents, Dracula sees a portrait of Harker's fiancée Mina Murray, recognizing her as Elisabeta reincarnated. Dracula feeds on local nuns to restore his youth, locks Harker in the castle, and travels to Paris.
In Paris, Dracula uses a magical hypnotic perfume to track Mina. However, recognizing that true love cannot be forced by magic, he destroys the perfume and plays Elisabeta’s golden music box. The melody triggers Mina's authentic past-life memories. Mina willingly accompanies Dracula back to Wallachia and asks to be turned into a vampire so they can remain together forever; Dracula bites her, completing her transformation.
Harker escapes Transylvania and unites with the unnamed priest (Christoph Waltz) and French soldiers. They track Dracula to his castle and launch an artillery assault. During the battle, the priest confronts Dracula in his sanctuary, warning him that forcing Mina into eternal vampirism condemns her soul to hell forever. Realizing that true devotion requires saving her soul rather than trapping her in darkness, Dracula surrenders. He allows the priest to stake him through the heart, disintegrating into dust in Mina's arms while reaffirming his love.