The 2004 miniseries Frankenstein largely adheres to the plot of Mary Shelley's classic novel. The story begins with Captain Robert Walton's expedition to the North Pole, where his crew rescues a dying man, Victor Frankenstein, from the ice. Victor then recounts his tragic tale to Walton.
From a young age, Victor is obsessed with the mysteries of life and death. While studying at the University of Ingolstadt, encouraged by his mentor Professor Waldman, he develops a secret method to reanimate inanimate matter. He experiments by bringing a dead dog back to life (temporarily) and then embarks on his most ambitious project: creating a human being from parts of corpses.
After successfully bringing his creation to life, Victor is horrified by its grotesque appearance and immediately abandons it. The Creature, left to fend for itself, wanders into the world. It is universally shunned and feared due to its appearance, leading to a deep sense of loneliness and resentment. The Creature eventually takes refuge in the shed of a remote cabin, where it secretly observes a family and learns to speak and read, developing a complex intellect and a yearning for connection.
Driven by a desire for revenge against its creator, the Creature eventually confronts Victor. It confesses to the murder of Victor's younger brother, William (an accidental killing in some interpretations, but intentional in others), and frames a maid for the crime, leading to her execution. The Creature then demands that Victor create a female companion for him, promising that they will vanish into the uninhabited wilderness and never bother humankind again.
Victor reluctantly agrees but, consumed by fear of creating a monstrous race, he destroys the female creature before it is completed. Enraged, the Creature vows to exact further revenge on Victor, promising to "be with him on his wedding night." True to its word, the Creature murders Victor's best friend, Henry Clerval, and later strangles Victor's beloved wife, Elizabeth, on their wedding night.
Devastated and consumed by grief, Victor's father goes mad and dies. Victor, now with nothing left to lose, dedicates his life to hunting down and destroying the Creature. The chase leads them to the Arctic, where Victor recounts his story to Captain Walton before dying. The Creature then finds Victor's body and, in a moment of ambiguous remorse, vows to destroy itself, disappearing into the icy expanse.