In 1974 Upstate New York, young Thaddeus Sivana is arguing with his father and older brother, Sid, during a car trip when he is transported to the Rock of Eternity, a magical temple hidden in another dimension. He meets the ancient wizard Shazam, last of the Council of Wizards, who has spent centuries searching for a new champion who is "pure of heart" after the previous champion, driven by revenge, released the Seven Deadly Sins -Pride, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust and Envy- upon the world and killed the other Wizards. Thaddeus is tempted by the Sins, entrapped in statues, to touch the Eye of Sin, and is deemed unworthy after being prevented to do so by Shazam. After returning to Earth, the confused Thaddeus makes a scene, which causes the car to crash and cripple his father with Sid blaming him. Back at the Rock of Eternity, Shazam requests for another worthy person by casting a Seeking Spell.
In present-day Philadelphia, foster child Billy Batson runs afoul of the law while searching for his birth mother and is placed in a group home run by Victor and Rosa Vasquez with five other foster children: Mary Bromfield, Pedro Peña, Eugene Choi, Darla Dudley and superhero enthusiast Freddy Freeman. Meanwhile, an embittered adult Sivana discovers a way to return to the Rock of Eternity. There, he steals the Eye of Sin, becoming the Sins' vessel and besting the Wizard. He returns to Earth accompanied by the Sins, confronting and killing his father and Sid along with Sivana Industries' board of directors.