Description
The film opens to an unidentified feral woman, with a wound on the side of her torso as she forages through the woods, returns to her cave, and circles what appears to be her child. A wolf, apparently tamed by the feral woman, circles the infant as well, but does it no harm. Although it is not referenced in the film, the woman is the last remaining member of a cannibalistic tribe that has roamed the northeast coast for decades (as seen in the 2009 film Offspring).
Meanwhile, Chris Cleek, a country lawyer, attends a local barbecue with his family. His oldest daughter, Peggy, sits off to the side of a pool, upset while reading a book. His only son, Brian, watches as a trio of boys abuse and push a small girl named Jenny into a corner and makes no effort to save her. After the barbecue, while out hunting, Chris happens upon the woman, who is bathing and fishing at the creek. The next day, he returns with a net in an effort to capture her. He knocks her out and returns home with her, restrains her in a cellar, and directs his family to participate in "civilizing" her.
Over the following days, the Cleek family is revealed to be dysfunctional. Brian enjoys causing pain to others. Peggy, who at school, is always withdrawn of her studies, always seen wearing clothing too large for her size and always excuses herself from gym class and to uses the ladies’ restroom. At home, she is also withdrawn and afraid of her father, who gives the appearance of a smart, charming man. Chris's first attempt to approach the woman results in her biting off and eating his ring finger. Chris and his wife, Belle, argue as the latter is concerned about the woman's well-being and the current situation they are in, and the youngest daughter, Darlin', attempts to befriend the imprisoned woman using her toy radio to play music. Chris's will prevails and he orchestrates a violent series of civilizing measures.
Chris bathes the woman with boiling water and later decides to bathe her outside with a high-pressure power washer, causing her extreme pain. Belle and Peggy both watch in horror, but Peggy rushes to the woman's aid and turns off the washer. Peggy is forced into the house, while Belle and Chris move the woman back into the cellar, and Belle clothes the woman with a dress she sewn together. Later that night, Chris rapes the woman while Brian secretly observes through a hole he drilled on the cellar door after feeding the family dogs one day. The next day, Brian, who came home from school and believing that he's home alone, also violates the woman by initially offering her a gingerbread man cookie he chopped up in half, before pinching her left nipple with a pliers (causing her excruciating pain), and is caught by Peggy, who was staying home from school.
Belle, notified by Peggy, tells Chris, who came home from work, what Brian had done to the woman. However, Chris asks his son if his act was true, and dismisses this behavior as “adolescent urges.” Belle, unable to stand the situation anymore (Chris’ sadistic and perverted treatment towards all women, teaching Brian to physically and psychologically hurt females, the situation with the dogs in the family barn, the torture done on the captured woman, and the sexual abuse on Peggy), announces her intention to leave Chris and take their two daughters, but not their “rapist” son. Chris, in response, knocks Belle unconscious just before Peggy's geometry teacher, Ms. Genevieve Raton, knocks on the door, asking to speak with her parents so that she can help her. With Belle unconscious and placed on a kitchen chair and Chris, Brian, and Peggy joining in the conversation, Ms. Raton tells Chris her observations concerning Peggy's well-being at school, including Peggy falling behind in her studies, excusing herself to the restroom, and wearing baggy clothes. After asking Chris if Peggy has a boyfriend, Ms. Raton tells him that she believes Peggy is pregnant (which Peggy denies in response). Just as Ms. Raton was about to leave the house, Chris becomes increasingly agitated, after reminding her that Peggy does not have a boyfriend, believing that she is accusing him of committing incestuous pedophilia towards his daughter (causing her to get pregnant) and that she will somehow expose the family's secret, and knocks her unconscious as Peggy witnesses in horror.
He and Brian tie her hands and drag her to the barn where he keeps the Cleeks’ two German shepherds. Peggy protests, as Ms. Raton is not only her teacher, but also her only friend, but Chris pushes her aside, picks her up, and subjects her to a vicious verbal assault before throwing her to the ground. While Belle, in the house is slowly regaining consciousness.
In the barn, Chris and Brian drag Ms. Raton into the dogs’ kennel, and lock her inside with the dogs tied to a post, barking and snarling at her as she screams in terror. As Ms. Raton struggles to escape the dogs, she inadvertently takes refuge by a dog house, only for Chris to taunt her; telling her that lying by the dog house is a bad idea, as the kennel is shown to also contain an eyeless girl named "Socket", the Cleek's secret third daughter, who behaves like the two dogs, who emerges from the dog house, sinks her teeth into Ms. Raton's back and tears off her flesh. Ms. Raton revives from the attack and struggles to escape from the animalistic girl, but Socket overpowers her, killing and disemboweling her, before the former and the two dogs eat her flesh and entrails. Peggy releases the imprisoned woman from the cellar. The now-liberated woman attacks and kills Belle (who has slowly regained consciousness and discovers her), gnawing off most of her face, as Peggy witnesses in horror before the woman tosses Belle's cadaver aside, and causing Peggy to run back to the house. Taking a lawnmower blade, she then kills Brian, severing his torso (similar to how he chops gingerbread men), and overpowers Chris (just as he was about to shoot her with his shotgun), tears his heart out and eats it.
A terrified Peggy attempts to escape with Darlin’. The woman does not attack the girls. Instead, she drinks a gallon-sized water bottle offered by Darlin’, offers the girls fresh blood, takes Darlin' and they walk away from the house and the property together, along with Socket acting as a dog, apparently forming a new family. Peggy, initially reluctant, follows the new family at a distance as the screen cuts to black.
A post-credits scene shows a live-action/hand drawn animation short similar to the plot of Where the Wild Things Are of Darlin’ on a sailboat, sailing alone in an open sea, before arriving at a beach that is close to a forest. As Darlin’ explores the vast wilderness, she encounters a bizarre humanoid entity. Instead of being afraid of the creature, she becomes fascinated by it as she hugs it, and it began to bloom flowers from its body. Darlin’ accepts the flower, and the two become friends. This scene symbolizes Darlin’ leaving her old life behind and starting a new life with the woman.
