In 2029, a cyborg assassin known as The Terminator is dispatched through time to 1984 Los Angeles. Designed to mimic a human male, it is programmed with a singular objective: to locate and eliminate Sarah Connor. Meanwhile, a human soldier named Kyle Reese is also sent back in time, his mission to protect Sarah and stop the Terminator at all costs.

Using a telephone directory, the Terminator begins systematically hunting down women named Sarah Connor, killing them one by one. Its rampage extends to anyone who crosses its path, including Sarah’s roommate Ginger and Ginger's boyfriend, Matt. The relentless assassin eventually tracks down the real Sarah at a crowded nightclub. Chaos ensues as it initiates a violent attack, but Reese intervenes, saving Sarah during the carnage.

Fleeing the scene, Reese and Sarah steal a car to escape while the Terminator, undeterred, relentlessly pursues them in a stolen police vehicle.