在德州某屠宰场，肥胖的女工正在案板切肉，突然感到腹中剧痛，原来身怀有孕的她羊水已破，产下一个畸形儿，遗弃在垃圾箱，后来被清洁工救起。N年后，一群年轻人驾车路过这里。刚从越南前线归来的艾瑞克（马修•波莫 Matthew Bomer 饰）刚与未婚妻克莉希（乔丹娜•布鲁斯特 Jordana Brewster 饰）团聚，就得知弟弟迪恩（泰勒•汉德雷 Taylor Handley 饰）又要去前线，他本想陪弟弟共赴沙场。但迪安在女友贝莉（迪奥拉•拜尔德 Diora Baird 饰）的劝说下准备将入伍证烧掉，他们为此产生了争执。这时，他们遭到了飙车党挑衅。后来，为首的女孩竟然被警察击毙。警察霍伊特（R•李•艾尔米 R. Lee Ermey 饰）拦住了他们的车子，把他们带到了令人毛骨悚然的屠宰场，开始了惨无人道的折磨……In August, 1939, a worker goes into labor while working in a slaughterhouse and dies after a complicated labor, though the deformed child survives. The possibly orphaned baby is dumped in a garbage container and found by a beggar later, who brings him home. Along the years, the mentally retarded and disturbed boy called Thomas is raised by the Hewitt family in spite of having psychological problems as well as suffering from an unnamed skin disorder, later working in a meat packing plant. In July, 1969, when the facility is closed, the inhabitants move to other places, but the deformed, mentally childlike Thomas flies into a rage after being insulted and kills the foreman. His deranged brother (considered his uncle due to their age difference) executes the sheriff that is going to arrest Thomas, and assumes his identity, wearing his clothes,driving his car though the roads in Texas and entitling himself as Sheriff Hoyt. Meanwhile, the brothers Eric and Dean are traveling in a Jeep with...