故事以音乐产业为背景，讲述一位自助大师兼现代邪教领袖，与一位崭露头角的流行偶像建立了复杂的关系。

　　The Horror of Dolores Roach is a grotesque Sweeney Todd-inspired tale of Eat or Be Eaten; a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest. It follows the indomitable Dolores Roach, who returns to a New York City neighborhood that has changed drastically during the sixteen years she has been in prison. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone, Dolores is recognized only by an old stoner friend, Luis, who gives Dolores room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement apartment under his dilapidated empanada shop.
　　When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, ‘Magic Hands Dolores’ is driven to extremes to survive — leaving in her wake a string of strangled massage clients. In the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his own particular predilections.

　　出生于巴基斯坦移民家庭的高中生纳兹（里兹·阿迈德 Riz Ahmed 饰），偷偷开走父亲的出租车去赴一场朋友爽约的派对。他中途迷路，焦急之际搭载了带着落寞绝望表情的女孩安吉拉（索菲亚·布莱克-德埃利亚 Sofia Black-D'Elia 饰）。霓虹闪烁的海边，两人互吐 心声。纳兹随对方回到家中，在迷幻的氛围中一切自然而然地发生。可当他醒来时，却发现安吉拉已被人残忍杀害。他惊慌失措，夺路而逃，结果半路因酒驾遭到逮捕，继而因涉嫌杀害安吉拉遭到指控。在押期间，善于为边缘人辩护盈利的小律师约翰·斯通（约翰·特托罗 John Turturro 饰）决定帮他洗脱罪名。临近退休的警长丹尼斯（比尔·坎普 Bill Camp 饰）和检察官海伦（珍妮·柏林 Jeannie Berlin 饰）则磨刀霍霍，发誓要坐实纳兹的罪名。
　　被人称为有着“小鹿斑比似的大眼睛”的纳兹，更要在炼狱般的牢房内接收黑暗和罪恶的洗礼……