While visiting the Earth at Night,a group of alien botanists is discovered and disturbed by an approaching human task force.Because of the more than hasty take-off,one of the visitors is left behind.The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet.Fortunately,the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in 10-year-old Elliot,who discovered him looking for food in his family's garden shed.While E.T.slowly gets acquainted with Elliot's brother Michael,his sister Gertie as well as with Earth customs,members of the task force work day and night to track down the whereabouts of Earth's first visitor from Outer Space.The wish to go home again is strong in E.T.,and after being able to communicate with Elliot and the others,E.T.starts building an improvised device to send a message home for his folks to come and pick him up.But before long,E.T.gets seriously sick,and because of his special connection to Elliot,the young boy suffers,too.The situation gets critical when the task force finally intervenes.By then,all help may already be too late,and there's no alien spaceship in sight.
An alien botanist stranded on Earth is found by 10-year-old Elliot (Henry Thomas),who,along with his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and his younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore),teach him to communicate and help him build a device to contact his people to bring him home.When ET becomes sick,a medical facility is set up in Elliot's home as scientists try to study ET.The scientists find remarkable evidence indicating linked brain activity between Elliot and ET.
ET,who had previously been sick after trying to contact his species outside and catching pneumonia (or some pneumonia-like illness),miraculously recovers.Elliot helps him escape the government facility where he is being kept,and the two finally reach the aliens,who have returned after receiving ET's message.Elliot knows he must stay on Earth and cannot go with ET.