In the grim and barren Ozark mountains, 17-year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) struggles to look after her catatonic mother and young brother and sister.
Learning that her father, Jessup, a known meth amphetamine producer, has disappeared after putting their home down as collateral for his bail, Ree resolves to find him before her family is evicted.
Struggling to discover the truth behind his disappearance, Ree is stonewalled and threated by the locals, including Jessup's brother, the volatile Teardrop (John Hawkes). Pressing on out of a desperate need to provide for the family, Ree's life is put in increasing danger as she pries into the murky and secretive world of these dangerous meth heads