On the planet Corellia, orphans Han and Qi'ra escape a local gang.

They bribe an Imperial officer

with stolen starship fuel, known as coaxium, for passage on a transport, but Qi'ra is captured
before she can board. Han vows to return for her and joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet,
being given the surname "Solo".
Three years later, Han is serving as an infantryman on Mimban following his expulsion from the
Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination. He encounters a trio of criminals posing as Imperial
soldiers, led by Tobias Beckett. Han attempts to blackmail Beckett into letting him join the gang,
but Beckett has him arrested and thrown into a pit to be fed to a Wookiee prisoner named
Chewbacca. Able to understand Chewbacca's language, Han persuades him to cooperate to
escape. Beckett, aware of the usefulness of a Wookiee's strength, rescues and enlists them in
the gang to steal a shipment of coaxium on Vandor-1. The plan fails when the Cloud Riders, a
band of space pirates led by Enfys Nest, arrive to hijack the shipment. The resulting chaos leads
to the destruction of the coaxium and the deaths of Beckett's partner Val and their crewman Rio.
Beckett reveals that he was ordered to steal the shipment for Dryden Vos, a high-ranking crime
boss in the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Han and Chewbacca volunteer to help him steal another
shipment to repay the debt so that Vos will not kill him. They travel to Vos's yacht where Han
finds Qi'ra, who has joined Crimson Dawn as Vos's top lieutenant. Han suggests a risky plan to
steal unrefined coaxium from the mines on Kessel. Vos approves, but insists that Qi'ra
accompany the team. She leads them to Lando Calrissian, a smuggler and pilot, who she hopes
will lend them his ship, the Millennium Falcon. Han challenges Lando to a game of cards, with
the wager being Lando's ship. Lando cheats to win but agrees to join the mission in exchange for
a share of the profits.
After reaching Kessel in the Falcon and infiltrating the mine, Lando's droid co-pilot L3-37
instigates a slave revolt. They steal the coaxium, but L3 is fatally damaged in the confusion and
Lando is wounded during the escape. With the help of L3's navigational data, uploaded into the
ship's systems, Han pilots the ship through the dangerous and uncharted Kessel Run to elude an
Imperial blockade. The Falcon, badly damaged, lands on the planet Savareen to process the
coaxium.
Enfys arrives, having tracked the team from Vandor, and Lando leaves in the Falcon, deserting
everyone else. Enfys reveals that she and her crew are rebels trying to strike back at the
syndicates and the Empire. Han becomes sympathetic to their cause and tries to trick Vos, who
reveals Beckett has already alerted him to the double-cross. Vos sends his guards to kill Enfys,
but the Cloud Riders overpower them, leaving Vos defenseless. Having anticipated Vos's
strategy, Han tries to take the coaxium, but Beckett betrays Vos and escapes with it, taking
Chewbacca hostage. Qi'ra kills Vos and sends Han after Beckett. She contacts Vos's superior,
Force-wielder Maul, to inform him of the mission's failure, which she blames on Beckett. Maul
orders Qi'ra to meet with him on Dathomir.
Han confronts Beckett and shoots him dead before he can return fire. Qi'ra leaves in Vos's yacht,
while Han and Chewbacca give the coaxium to Enfys, who offers Han a chance to join the
rebellion against the Empire. He declines, and she gives him a vial of coaxium, enough to
purchase a ship of his own.
Han and Chewbacca locate Lando and challenge him to a rematch, once again wagering the
Falcon. This time Han wins in a fair game after having stolen the hidden card from Lando that he
used to cheat his way to victory the first time. Han and Chewbacca then leave for Tatooine to find
the crime lord mentioned by Beckett who is putting together a big, profitable job.