PLOT

On her eighteenth birthday, Bella Swan awakens from a dream where she is an old woman and Edward Cullen, her immortal vampire boyfriend, is forever young. Despite Bella's lack of enthusiasm, Edward's family host a birthday reception for her at their residence. While unwrapping a gift, she receives a paper cut. Edward's foster brother, Jasper, is overwhelmed by the scent of Bella's blood and attempts to attack her but is restrained. Believing that he and his family are putting Bella's life in danger, Edward ends their relationship, and the Cullens leave Forks.

Bella is left severely depressed and isolated for months. Her concerned father, Charlie, decides to send Bella to live with her mother in Jacksonville, Florida. Bella refuses and promises to spend more time with her other school friends. She and Jessica see a movie. Bella approaches some rough-looking bikers outside the theater, much to Jessica's dismay. The dangerous encounter reminds Bella of a previous near-assault where Edward rescued her. She imagines seeing and hearing Edward and realizes that thrill-seeking activities can evoke his image.

Bella's Quileute friend Jacob Black helps ease her pain by engaging her in various activities. Jacob mentions how many of his tribal friends follow and obey Sam, another Quileute. While attending a movie with Bella and Mike, Jacob abruptly leaves after becoming inexplicably upset and suffering a burning fever. Bella drives to Jacob's home after he avoids seeing her. Jacob has cut his long hair and now has the same Quileute tattoo on his upper right arm as Sam and other tribe members. He tells Bella to stay away from him.

When Bella hikes to the meadow that she and Edward often visited, she is confronted by Victoria's vampire companion Laurent. As he is about to kill her, a wolf pack appears and attacks him. Bella eventually discovers that Jacob and the other tribe members are shape-shifters who can change into giant wolves. Their age-old enemies are vampires, though a treaty exists between the Cullens and the tribe. Jacob's pack members are currently on alert for Victoria, the vampire seeking to avenge her mate, James, who Edward killed to protect Bella. With Jacob focused on adapting to his new shape-shifting powers, Bella again finds herself alone and returns to seeking thrill-inducing activities, deliberately oblivious to Victoria's presence.

Through a series of miscommunications, Edward believes that Bella has killed herself after Edward's sister Alice has a vision of Bella jumping off a seaside cliff. Distraught, Edward travels to Italy to ask the Volturi (a powerful coven that act as vampiric overlords) to end his life, as he is incapable of doing so himself. When they refuse his request, he plans to force their hand by exposing himself as a vampire to humans during a large festival. Alice returns to Forks and is shocked to find that Bella is still alive.

Alice and Bella travel to Italy to save Edward, arriving in time to prevent him from revealing himself as a vampire. Edward, relieved that Bella is alive, explains that he only left Forks to protect her and promises never to leave again. Edward defends Bella from Felix, one of Volturi, as the Volturi do not allow humans to confide in vampire society, but Edward is easily overpowered. As the Volturi are about to kill Edward, Bella asks that they kill her instead. Impressed by a human's willingness to sacrifice her life for a vampire, the Volturi determine that Bella, who knows that vampires exist, must either be killed or be transformed into a vampire. Alice shares her vision of Bella as a vampire with Aro, a Volturi elder able to read thoughts through touch. Aro decides to let them go after extracting a promise that Bella be turned eventually. After returning to Forks, Bella asks the Cullens to vote on her becoming a vampire. Only Edward and Rosalie vote no. Jacob reminds Edward that the years-old treaty with Quileute will be broken if any Cullen bites a human. Bella tells Jacob that it is her choice. Edward tells Bella that he will change her into a vampire if Bella marries him.

CAST

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan,

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen,

Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black,

Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen,

Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria Sutherland,

Billy Burke as Charlie Swan,

Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen,

Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale,

Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen,

Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale,

Anna Kendrick as Jessica Stanley,

Michael Sheen as Aro,

Dakota Fanning as Jane,

Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen,

Edi Gathegi as Laurent Da Revin,

Noot Seear as Heidi,

Michael Welch as Mike Newton,

Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley,

Tyson Houseman as Quil Ateara

Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call

Alex Meraz as Paul Lahote

Bronson Pelletier as Jared Cameron

Graham Greene as Harry Clearwater,

Gil Birmingham as Billy Black,

Christian Serratos as Angela Weber,

Justin Chon as Eric Yorkie

Tinsel Korey as Emily Young,

Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius,

Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus,

Justine Wachsberger as Gianna,

Cameron Bright as Alec,

Charlie Bewley as Demetri,

Daniel Cudmore as Felix,

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

commonly referred to as New Moon

based on Stephenie Meyer's 2006 novel New Moon.

the second film in The Twilight Saga film series and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight.