In the fictional country of Amestris, children Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonse live in a rural town with their mother Trisha while self-learning alchemy. When the brothers commit the taboo act of Human Transmutation to resurrect Trisha after she dies of illness, it backfires and they face the consequences via the Law of Equivalent Exchange: Edward loses his left leg, while Alphonse is dragged into the Gate of Truth.