The plot opens with a flashback sequence showing a nine-year-old Lara Croft travelling with her mother. The plane carrying them crashes into the Himalayas, apparently leaving them as the only two survivors. After taking shelter in the ruins of an ancient temple, Lara discovers an ornate stone dais holding a sword while searching for firewood. She unwittingly activates the ancient artefact and watches in horror as her mother vanishes in front of her eyes into a portal.