To avoid jail time, street racer Sean Boswell is sent to live with his father, who is in the military and serving in Tokyo. There he discovers drift racing. After losing a race to Yakuza-connected D.K., the Drift King, Sean has to enter the Tokyo underworld to find a way to pay his debt.

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship on the road from Radiator Springs to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours, and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage!