The most valuable commodity in existence is 'spice' which can only be found on the desert world Arrakis, ruled by House Harkonnen with an iron fist. At the command of the Emperor, House Harkonnen are removed from Arrakis and House Atreides installed in their stead.
Duke Leto Atreides knows he cannot refuse the request and mistrusts the Emperor's motives but looks to make the best of a bad situation by offering a hand of friendship to the local population, previously rebelling and being brutally oppressed, in the hope to make them allies.
Meanwhile the Duke's young son Paul has been dreaming of the desert world and a mysterious woman. His dreams are not just idle fancy, he is part of a generations long eugenics program looking to create a superior human with unique mental and prophetic abilities. He is considered a misstep on the path, but on arriving in Arrakis something in him awakens...