In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his brother and himself--the legendary Philosophers Stone.
The horrors of the Ishbalan extermination campaign had serious repercussions, which set the tone for the complicated dealings of present-day state politics. Lieutenant Hawkeye reluctantly tells Ed all the dreaded details of the role Colonel Mustang and the other state alchemists played in this tragic event.