In London, John Smith is ambushed by a group of soldiers with a warrant for his arrest and presumed dead in the ensuing confrontation; Governor Ratcliffe has lied to King James (being a personal friend of the King) and framed Smith as the traitor from the first film in a plot to declare war against the Powhatan Nation and get ahold of the gold he still believes them to possess, all while avoiding punishment for his own crimes. In order to prevent this, the King sends a young diplomat, John Rolfe, to bring Chief Powhatan to England for negotiations.