Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance continues the fight against the Imperial forces and suffers a defeat on the ice planet Hoth. Luke Skywalker journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, the evil Sith Lord, Darth Vader, lures Luke into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin. In the midst of a fierce lightsaber duel with Vader, Luke faces the startling revelation that the Sith lord is in fact his father, Anakin Skywalker.
A key command figure in the Rebel Alliance, Princess Leia becomes a source of inspiration for the Rebels when she stays on Hoth, directing the evacuation, even when the base begins to collapse around her.