The movie begins with Larry Daley, a recently divorced and unemployed man who lands a job as a night guard at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Larry is initially disappointed with his new job, but things take a dramatic turn when he discovers that the museum's exhibits come to life at night. The wax figures and artifacts transform into living, breathing characters, including Teddy Roosevelt (Patrick Gallagher), Attila the Hun (Pablo Schreiber), and a mischievous Egyptian pharaoh named Imhotep (Rami Malek).