diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManager.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManager.php
index 99abd89..15a67c2 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManager.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManager.php
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 namespace Drupal\Core\Plugin;
 
 use Drupal\Component\Plugin\Discovery\CachedDiscoveryInterface;
+use Drupal\Component\Plugin\Exception\PluginException;
 use Drupal\Core\Plugin\Discovery\ContainerDerivativeDiscoveryDecorator;
 use Drupal\Component\Plugin\PluginManagerBase;
 use Drupal\Component\Plugin\PluginManagerInterface;
@@ -99,6 +100,13 @@ class DefaultPluginManager extends PluginManagerBase implements PluginManagerInt
   protected $defaults = array();
 
   /**
+   * Defines a fallback ID in case the plugin could not be created.
+   *
+   * @var string
+   */
+  protected $fallbackPluginId;
+
+  /**
    * Creates the discovery object.
    *
    * @param string|bool $subdir
@@ -112,12 +120,13 @@ class DefaultPluginManager extends PluginManagerBase implements PluginManagerInt
    *   (optional) The name of the annotation that contains the plugin definition.
    *   Defaults to 'Drupal\Component\Annotation\Plugin'.
    */
-  public function __construct($subdir, \Traversable $namespaces, ModuleHandlerInterface $module_handler, $plugin_definition_annotation_name = 'Drupal\Component\Annotation\Plugin') {
+  public function __construct($subdir, \Traversable $namespaces, ModuleHandlerInterface $module_handler, $plugin_definition_annotation_name = 'Drupal\Component\Annotation\Plugin', $fallback_plugin_id = NULL) {
     $this->subdir = $subdir;
     $this->discovery = new AnnotatedClassDiscovery($subdir, $namespaces, $plugin_definition_annotation_name);
     $this->discovery = new ContainerDerivativeDiscoveryDecorator($this->discovery);
     $this->factory = new ContainerFactory($this);
     $this->moduleHandler = $module_handler;
+    $this->fallbackPluginId = $fallback_plugin_id;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -277,4 +286,40 @@ protected function findDefinitions() {
     return $definitions;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function createInstance($plugin_id, array $configuration = array()) {
+
+    try {
+      $instance = $this->factory->createInstance($plugin_id, $configuration);
+    }
+    catch (PluginException $exception) {
+      if (isset($this->fallbackPluginId)) {
+        // Allow implementations show the exception message.
+        $configuration['_exception'] = $exception;
+        $instance = $this->factory->createInstance($this->getFallbackPluginId($plugin_id, $configuration), $configuration);
+      }
+      else {
+        throw $exception;
+      }
+    }
+    return $instance;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the plugin ID to be used.
+   *
+   * @param string $original_plugin_id
+   *   The plugin ID of the non-instantiable plugin.
+   * @param array $configuration
+   *   The original configuration of the plugin.
+   *
+   * @return string
+   *   The plugin ID of the fallback instance.
+   */
+  protected function getFallbackPluginId($original_plugin_id, $configuration) {
+    return $this->fallbackPluginId;
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManagerTest.php b/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManagerTest.php
index bd1efc2..5c0d888 100644
--- a/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManagerTest.php
+++ b/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/DefaultPluginManagerTest.php
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@
 
 namespace Drupal\Tests\Core\Plugin;
 
+use Drupal\Component\Plugin\Exception\PluginException;
+use Drupal\Component\Plugin\Factory\DefaultFactory;
 use Drupal\Core\Language\Language;
+use Drupal\plugin_test\Plugin\plugin_test\fruit\Apple;
 use Drupal\Tests\UnitTestCase;
 
 /**
@@ -212,6 +215,45 @@ public function testCacheClearWithTags() {
     $plugin_manager->clearCachedDefinitions();
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Tests the plugin manager without a fallback plugin.
+   *
+   * @expectedException \Drupal\Component\Plugin\Exception\PluginException
+   */
+  public function testCreateInstanceWithoutFallback() {
+    $factory = $this->getMock('\Drupal\Component\Plugin\Factory\FactoryInterface');
+    $factory->expects($this->once())
+      ->method('createInstance')
+      ->with('non_existing', array())
+      ->will($this->throwException(new PluginException()));
+
+    $plugin_manager = new TestPluginManager($this->namespaces, $this->expectedDefinitions, NULL, NULL);
+    $plugin_manager->setFactory($factory);
+    $plugin_manager->createInstance('non_existing');
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Tests the plugin manager with a fallback plugin.
+   */
+  public function testCreateInstanceWithFallback() {
+    $factory = $this->getMock('\Drupal\Component\Plugin\Factory\FactoryInterface');
+    $apple = new Apple();
+    $exception = new PluginException();
+    $factory->expects($this->at(0))
+      ->method('createInstance')
+      ->with('non_existing', array())
+      ->will($this->throwException($exception));
+    $factory->expects($this->at(1))
+      ->method('createInstance')
+      ->with('apple', array('_exception' => $exception))
+      ->will($this->returnValue($apple));
+
+    $plugin_manager = new TestPluginManager($this->namespaces, $this->expectedDefinitions, NULL, NULL, 'apple');
+    $plugin_manager->setFactory($factory);
+    $plugin = $plugin_manager->createInstance('non_existing');
+    $this->assertSame($apple, $plugin);
+  }
+
 }
 
 if (!defined('DRUPAL_ROOT')) {
diff --git a/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/TestPluginManager.php b/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/TestPluginManager.php
index a7ea79d..e977b6e 100644
--- a/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/TestPluginManager.php
+++ b/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/Core/Plugin/TestPluginManager.php
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 namespace Drupal\Tests\Core\Plugin;
 
 use Drupal\Component\Plugin\Discovery\StaticDiscovery;
+use Drupal\Component\Plugin\Factory\FactoryInterface;
 use Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandlerInterface;
 use Drupal\Core\Plugin\DefaultPluginManager;
 
@@ -28,8 +29,10 @@ class TestPluginManager extends DefaultPluginManager {
    *   (optional) The module handler to invoke the alter hook with.
    * @param string $alter_hook
    *   (optional) Name of the alter hook.
+   * @param string $fallback_plugin_id
+   *   (optional) The fallback plugin ID.
    */
-  public function __construct(\Traversable $namespaces, array $definitions, ModuleHandlerInterface $module_handler = NULL, $alter_hook = NULL) {
+  public function __construct(\Traversable $namespaces, array $definitions, ModuleHandlerInterface $module_handler = NULL, $alter_hook = NULL, $fallback_plugin_id = NULL) {
     // Create the object that can be used to return definitions for all the
     // plugins available for this type. Most real plugin managers use a richer
     // discovery implementation, but StaticDiscovery lets us add some simple
@@ -46,6 +49,18 @@ public function __construct(\Traversable $namespaces, array $definitions, Module
     if ($alter_hook) {
       $this->alterInfo($alter_hook);
     }
+
+    $this->fallbackPluginId = $fallback_plugin_id;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Sets the plugin factory.
+   *
+   * @param \Drupal\Component\Plugin\Factory\FactoryInterface $factory
+   *   (optional) The plugin factory.
+   */
+  public function setFactory(FactoryInterface $factory) {
+    $this->factory = $factory;
   }
 
 }