The Crow is an American media franchise based on the limited comic book series of the same name created by James O'Barr.
On October 30, Mischief Night in Detroit, Sergeant Albrecht is at the scene of a crime where Shelly Webster has been beaten and raped, and her fiancé Eric Draven then died on the street outside, having been stabbed, shot, and thrown out of the window. The couple were to be married the following day, on Halloween. As he leaves for the hospital with Shelly, Albrecht meets a young girl, Sarah, who says that she is their friend, and that they take care of her. Albrecht tells her that Shelly is dying.
In Los Angeles, mechanic Ashe Corven and his eight-year-old son Danny are murdered by notorious drug kingpin Judah Earl after they witness a gang of Judah's henchmen murdering a fellow drug dealer. The two are then dumped into a harbor.
Exactly one year after his death, rock musician Eric Draven returns to earth in a symbolic and literal leap from the bridge that joins the Land of the Dead and the land of the living. Possessing the mystic powers of The Crow, he is neither living nor dead, searching for a way to right what has been wronged. The Crow: Stairway to Heaven continues the legacy of Eric Draven and expands on the mythology of the successful feature film franchise. Joined as soulmates, Draven and his girlfriend Shelly were inseparable until they were brutally and senselessly murdered. Now their souls cannot rest. Their romance endures time and death, creating an incredible longing between the young lovers. Draven seeks redemption by helping others, fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. Through each act of justice, he is taken one step closer to his own salvation.
In Salt Lake City, Alex Corvis is a death row convict framed for the murder of his girlfriend Lauren Randall. Three years later, he is capital punishment in the electric chair. When he is asked for his last words, he says he still loves Lauren and that he is innocent; the guards do their job, and the switch is pulled. The generator is struck by lightning during the electrocution, overriding the electricity, and Alex suffers a painful, excruciating death. Soon after the execution, Alex is resurrected by a mystical crow and gifted with supernatural abilities so he can clear his name and avenge Lauren's death. Alex follows the crow to the Salt Lake City police department's evidence room, where he discovers that Lauren was killed by a group of corrupt cops. Alex has a vision of one of the killers, who has a scar on his arm matching one he saw just before his execution. Alex finds the knife that was used on Lauren, and then goes to her grave. There he meets with Lauren's sister Erin, who believes he is guilty. He tells her that he will prove his innocence, and disappears.
James "Jimmy" Cuervo, paroled after serving a prison sentence for killing a rape in a fight, lives with his dog in a mobile home in Lake Ravasu on the Raven Aztec Indian reservation. Jimmy plans to start a new life with his girlfriend, Lily, and leave the town for good. Lily's father, pastor Harold, and brother, local cop Tanner, both despise Jimmy, however.
Soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.