The film opens with narration by the Huntsman. He explains that many years earlier, the queen was walking in the snow when she saw a single red rose blooming in defiance of the cold. As she touched the rose, she pricked her finger and three drops of blood fell on the snow. The effect was so beautiful that she wished for a child with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and the strength of a rose in winter. A short time later, she was blessed with a beautiful daughter who she named Snow White. Everyone in the kingdom loved the little princess, as much for her defiant spirit as for her beauty." http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/snowwhitehuntsman.html

Cut to the king riding out to meet the black warriors. As his men attack, the army shatters and crumbles under their blades as if it were made of black glass. When the army is destroyed, the king and his men find a single prisoner chained inside a carriage. It is a beautiful blonde woman named Ravenna (Charlize Theron). “The king was so enchanted with Ravenna’s beauty that he married her the very next day.”

Cut to Ravenna dressing for the ceremony. Snow White tells her, “You’re so beautiful.” Ravenna says, “That’s kind child, especially considering your face is the standard of beauty in this kingdom. I know I could never take your mother’s place, but I feel that you and I are bound.”

As Snow White follows Ravenna down the aisle to the ceremony, Ravenna realizes that all the courtiers and guests who are whispering and staring are admiring Snow White, not her.

Ravenna marries the king, and that evening he comes to her in her chamber. As he begins to kiss her and take off her dress, he says, “You will be the ruin of me.” Ravenna says, “I was once ruined by a king like you. I replaced his queen when she had grown old. And then he would have replaced me with someone younger. You men use us up and then throw us away like garbage.” As she speaks, the king begins to choke and sputter, and it’s clear he’s been poisoned. Ravenna stabs him in the chest, and runs to open the gates to the castle. Her real flesh-and-blood army pours inside, led by her brother Finn.

As her army captures the castle, Duke Hammond tries to flee with Snow White and his son William, but Snow White is snatched from the back of his horse and only the Duke and the boy escape. Ravenna imprisons Snow White in a north tower room for the next ten or fifteen years.

Once Ravenna is installed as queen, one of her first acts is to have a large, circular golden mirror brought into her throne room. She paces in front of the mirror, agitated, asking, “Mirror Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror melts and solidifies as a tall, gold, faceless figure. The figure says, “You are fairest.” Ravenna smiles with relief.

Up in the tower room, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is filthy and bedraggled, but not broken. She builds a fire with flint and straw, and prays to two dolls representing her parents. She sees two birds outside her window and goes over to touch them. The birds fly away, but she notices an iron nail wedged in the stone outside the window. She pulls the nail out and keeps it safe.

Under Ravenna’s rule, the land becomes poisoned and ruined. The people are reduced to poverty and desperation. One day, two of the Duke’s supporters – a father and son - are brought before her. They have been caught attacking one of her supply trains. Ravenna admires the beauty of the son, and he takes the opportunity to stab her in the belly. She pulls out the knife without a drop of blood, and sucks the life from the boy’s heart. The father she allows to return to the Duke to bear tales of her great power and invincibility.

Back in the tower, Snow White sees that a prisoner has been put in the cell across from hers. It is a young woman, Greta. She says all the young women in the kingdom have been disappearing, and she was caught fleeing to the Duke’s castle. She is shocked to realize that Snow White is still alive, since everyone in the kingdom believed Snow White was slain when Ravenna took power, and she tells Snow White that the Duke still fights in the king’s name.

Downstairs, Ravenna stands before the mirror examining her wrinkles. She bemoans that her power is weakening and coming at a greater price – every time she uses her magic, it ages her. Her brother says he has something to help. He brings down Greta from the tower dungeon, and Ravenna sucks the youth out of Greta, transforming her from a young maid to an old woman.

Ravenna stands renewed and beautiful again. She moves to the mirror and asks who is fairest of them all. The mirror replies, “On this day, oh queen, you are fairest. But another has come of age who threatens to take your place.” Ravenna says, “Who?” The mirror replies, “Snow White. She threatens to take your power and destroy you entirely. But your destruction is also your salvation - if you consume her heart, your power will be immeasurable, and you will never grow old again.”

Ravenna calls for her brother and demands that he bring Snow White at once. Finn takes Greta back to the dungeon and enters Snow White’s room. Snow White sees him coming, and pretends to be asleep, hiding the iron nail she has taken from the wall. Finn sits on the bed and starts touching Snow White. He says he’s watched her many times before through the bars. Snow White pretends to enjoy his attentions until he gets close, then she slashes his face with the iron nail. She locks him in the dungeon and runs to Greta’s door. She sees that Greta has become a decrepit old woman, and Greta yells for Snow White to run.

Snow White tries to sneak out of the castle, but she is spotted by soldiers who give chase. As she runs, she passes the Duke’s man. Snow White sees the same two birds exiting the castle through a small hole in the stones, and she runs and slides into the hole, landing in a sewer pipe. She crawls down the pipe and comes out of the castle wall high above the ocean. She jumps into the surf and swims to shore.

The soldiers pour out of the castle on horseback to give chase. Snow White finds a pure white horse waiting on the beach, and she flees into the dark forest. Her horse quickly becomes mired in mud, and with the soldiers thundering down on her, she flees on foot. The dark forest is semi-sentient, and the branches snatch at her, and poisonous gasses give her terrifying hallucinations. She only runs a short way before collapsing. But the soldier’s horses have likewise gotten stuck in the mud, and they have to return to the castle empty handed.

Ravenna is furious with her brother. She says, “She escaped with a nail? If she had a sword, she would have taken my kingdom.” Despite her anger, she heals her brother’s face with the touch of her hand. She demands that he enter the dark forest to find Snow White. Finn says he doesn’t know the dark forest, and Ravenna says, “Then find someone who does.”

Cut to the Huntsman, drunk and stumbling, being tossed out of a bar. He is a mess, picking fights and losing instantly. Finn’s men clean him up and take him to Ravenna. Ravenna says he must recover her prisoner from the dark forest, and he laughs. He says he doesn’t care about gold or threats - he would be happy if Ravenna killed him. Ravenna knows he is a widower, and he’s drunk and reckless because he misses his wife. She says, “You know of my great power. Bring the prisoner to me, and I will resurrect your wife.”

The Huntsman takes Finn and his men into the dark forest. He finds Snow White’s tracks, and it isn’t long until he captures her. Snow White pleads for the Huntsman to help her, but he ignores her. Then she says, “Whatever they promised you, they will betray you.” The Huntsman tells Finn he will not turn over Snow White until Ravenna brings back his wife. Finn laughs in his face and says no one can bring back the dead.

The Huntsman goes into a rage and attacks Finn, allowing Snow White to escape. Finn is stabbed, but Ravenna can heal him even from a distance. The Huntsman runs away and meets up with Snow White again. She asks him to take her to the Duke’s castle, and promises he will be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces. The Huntsman agrees.

As they travel through the dark forest, the Huntsman shows Snow White how to stay safe. Fear is what powers the forest, and if she is not afraid, it can’t hurt her. He also shows her how to counter a physical assault and stab her attacker in the heart. They are almost out of the dark forest when they come to a bridge guarded by a massive troll. The Huntsman is knocked senseless, but Snow White leaps in front of the troll and yells in its face. She stares it down, and the troll backs away from her bravery. The Huntsman is shocked.

Meanwhile, the Duke’s man has returned to Duke Hammond’s castle. He tells everyone that Ravenna cannot be defeated, but he also tells the Duke that Snow White is still alive. The Duke says, “Where is my son?”

Cut to William, who is attacking one of Ravenna’s supply trains. He shoots a flaming arrow in its path and fights off a dozen soldiers. When he returns to his father’s castle, he is elated to learn that Snow White is still alive. He leaves at once to find her.

William intercepts Finn and his soldiers, who have regrouped to search for Snow White. William has disguised himself as a bowman, and he offers his services to Finn.

Back at the castle, Ravenna recollects the genesis of her powers. She was a young girl when a king and his band of warriors attacked her village. Her mother said, “Your beauty is your power. It will keep you safe,” and she performed a spell to strengthen Ravenna’s beauty. She cut Ravenna’s hand and put the blood in a bowl of milk, then had Ravenna drink. Ravenna and her brother were captured by the king and taken from their home.

Back to Snow White and the Huntsman, who have arrived at a village of women. All the men have gone away to battle, and the women have scarred their faces so they won’t have any beauty and hence will be worthless to Ravenna. The women recognize Snow White, and they want to help and protect her.

When the Huntsman realizes he has been escorting the princess, he is afraid. He waits until she is asleep, then deserts her. But before he can get far, the village is attacked by Finn and his men. They set the huts on fire, and the women flee to their boats. William surreptitiously protects Snow White so she gets to the boats safely, but they are separated by the flames. The Huntsman runs from the other direction and joins Snow White.

The Huntsman and Snow White resume their journey to the Duke’s castle. The Huntsman promises he will not desert her again, but before they can get far, they’re attacked by a band of dwarves. The dwarves have some grudge with the Huntsman, and they plan to kill him and leave Snow White to rot. But Snow White tells them who she really is, and a blind dwarf with mystical powers discerns the truth of her words and determines she is destined to battle Ravenna.

The dwarves take Snow White and the Huntsman to a beautiful forest oasis that has been untouched by Ravenna’s depredations because it is the home of the fairies. It’s full of magical animals like moss snakes and flower butterflies and giant turtles. The oasis begins to bloom even more once Snow White arrives, and the dwarves realize their sicknesses and injuries are disappearing under her influence. They say she is “life itself”.

That evening, Snow White bonds with one of the dwarves names Gus, and the dwarves explain how the land has sickened and died under Ravenna’s rule. They sleep, and in the morning Snow White follows the fairies to a giant magical stag who gives her its blessing.

Suddenly, the stag is shot by Finn’s men. The soldiers pour into the oasis, and Gus is likewise shot and killed protecting Snow White. The Huntsman does battle with Finn. Finn is immensely strong, and he has healing powers from Ravenna. As he batters the Huntsman, he says it was he who murdered the Huntsman’s wife. In a rage, the Huntsman shoves Finn into a splintered stump, impaling him. Finn pleads with Ravenna to heal him, but Ravenna has been drained and aged horribly already, and she doesn’t have any more strength to save him. Finn dies.

Meanwhile, William helps defeat the last of Finn’s men, and reveals himself to Snow White. He joins Snow White, the Huntsman, and the dwarves on their journey back to his father’s castle.

Back at the seaside, Ravenna has summoned every last woman in the castle and sucked them dry. She is renewed and beautiful and powerful again.

Cut to the forest, where Snow White has woken early and is walking through the snow. William joins her. Snow White asks him how she can lead the people against Ravenna. William says it will be like their childhood, when he would follow her anywhere. Snow White says, “I remember it differently. We fought all the time.” Snow White leans in close and kisses William. He says, “Remember this trick?” and he offers her an apple. Snow White takes a bite, and immediately she begins to cough and choke.

Back at the camp, the Huntsman wakes and realizes Snow White is gone. He grabs the real William, who is sleeping beside him, and they head off to search.

Ravenna pushes Snow White to the ground and says, “By fairest blood was it done, and only by fairest blood can it be undone. You could have defeated me, but now I will consume your heart and become invincible.” She raises her dagger, but before she can stab Snow White, the Huntsman hacks her with his axe. Ravenna dissolves into a storm of crows and flies back to her castle.

Snow White lies on the ground, apparently dead. William cradles her body and kisses her, but nothing happens. The Huntsman, William, and the dwarves are devastated, but they are determined to carry her back to the Duke’s castle as they promised.

At Duke Hammond’s castle, Snow White is laid in the chapel in a white dress. The Huntsman comes to visit her body, and he tells Snow White how his wife made him a better man, and how Snow White has done the same thing for him. He kisses her on the lips, then leaves the chapel.

Meanwhile, William is trying to convince his father that they should attack Ravenna. The Duke says they have to stay safe behind their castle walls. At that moment, Snow White walks out of the chapel. She says she has seen inside Ravenna, and she knows how to beat her. She says Ravenna is iron, but their fire will melt iron. The Duke’s men cheer and kneel before her.

Snow White, The Huntsman, William, and all the Duke’s men arm themselves to attack Ravenna’s castle. Ravenna sees them coming, but she is not afraid because the castle is located on a pile of rocks out on the ocean, and it can only be attacked from a narrow pathway that is open only for a short period during low tide.

However, Snow White knows about the secret entrance via the sewer pipe. She sends the dwarves ahead to open the gate. The dwarves sneak inside. Snow White and her men ride to the castle through a hail of arrows, boiling oil, and flaming bombs thrown by trebuchet. The dwarves fight off the soldiers and raise the gate just in time. Snow White’s men pour into the castle, doing battle with Ravenna’s army inside the gates.

Snow White slips through the fray and runs up to Ravenna’s throne room. Ravenna is waiting in front of the golden mirror. William and The Huntsman defeat the remainder of Ravenna’s army and chase after Snow White. When they enter the throne room, Ravenna holds them off with a horde of warriors formed from broken glass.

Snow White tries to attack Ravenna, but Ravenna is incredibly strong and she heals what small slashes Snow White manages to inflict. She slams Snow White to the ground. Ravenna raises her dagger, saying, “By fairest blood it is done.” Snow White uses the move the Huntsman taught her to block the dagger and stab Ravenna in the heart. She says, “And by fairest blood it is undone.” Ravenna gasps and staggers backward. She collapses in front of the mirror. Snow White says, “You cannot have my heart.” Ravenna withers away to nothing and her glass warriors disintegrate.

The kingdom begins to flourish again, and Snow White is crowned queen. Her scepter is a blooming branch. As her people cheer, she sees that Greta has been restored to health and youth, and William is smiling at her. But Snow White looks across the room to smile at the Huntsman.