What's the whole plot in final fantasy 13?

Ok lets start with the last question. No you don't have to play any of the other games to understand this game at all. It's totally unrelated to any of the other games.

I'll try to answer the other questions to the best of my abilities.

1)The aim of the government is to get rid of all people and things that have come into contact with Pulse l'cie (who are the people that the Fal'cie curse basically) and the PulseFal'cie (who are kinda God-like creatures from the world below the world that the characters live in). There are 2 types of Fal'cie and L'cie. There are Cacoon ones who control things like their food source and act as protection. These are not seen as a threat to cacoon. However Pulse L'cie and Fal'cie are seen as big threats to the so called "perfect" world of Cacoon. Then the government get rid of everything related to Pulse because they have brainwashed the people of Cacoon into believeing that L'cie are evil when they are simply trying to fulfill their focus.

2) they are enemies of Cacoon because they are not Cacoon L'cie they are Pulse L'cie and are seen as a threat to Cacoon as everyone believes they are trying to destroy Cacoon and that they have turned into monsters. They haven't changed at all but are still seen as an enemy to Cacoon.

3) After they fight some soldiers they go onto a ship to rescue Sarah (Lightning's sister) because she was captured by the Pulse Fal'cie. The large ship is transporting a Pulse Fal'cie that has gotten into Cacoon by accident. So to stop othe panic in the city the ship is taking it back to Pulse. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time really when they went to rescue Sarah.

4) I don't think we are told how the enemies got her in the first place to make her a L'cie but she ends up on the ship because she fell onto it when her and Snow were trying to get away from the authorities.

5) They become L'cie after they try to rescue Sarah. They find the Fal'cie in the ship that they went onto to get Sarah, the one that is transporting it back to Pulse. They anger the Fal'cie and it turns them into L'cie and gives them a focus to fulfill. If they don't fulfill it in time, they turn into cieth which are monsters who have no human features left.

Whew! I think I have everything covered there! If not I apologize! Sorry if that is a load of mumbo jumbo but this is the best way I know to describe it. I personally love the game and would recommend it. And also the other FF games. Ok I'm done now! Hope this helps ya!!! =)

All Final Fantasy games are seperate plots, so you can play each one as an individual game, not part of a series.

Soo..on to your questions:

So the plot starts off with Lightning and co. on a ship, because they're all being "purged", meaning shipped out of cocoon. This is because they were believed to have come in contact with something from Pulse, the area under cocoon which is filled with the most vile of creatures. The government follows the orders of a man disguised as a fal'Cie, meaning snow and everyone who opposes it are branded as enemies. After searching for Sarah, they find her with a fal'Cie, right before she turns to crystal, gaining "eternal life", which is what happens when you complete your "focus", a task appointed to you by the fal'Cie, although they don't tell you directly what it is. If you fail to complete the task in a said period, you turn into a brainless monster controlled by the fal'Cie. After they they try and fight the fal'Cie that made her crystal and it brands them l'cie.

just watch the cutscenes again here: http://www.youtube.com/user/HassanAlHajry#p/c/A71C...